The Highwayman
by Nyllewell
Summary: Jareth and Sarah meet again after many years, but with a new understanding of why and how they have been reunited. However, not everyone is happy for them. Can Jareth and Sarah unravel their past and make a new future for themselves, or will they be doomed to repeat history. Inspired by The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The night was eerily quiet, no insects chirped, no breeze rustled the spring trees; the clop clop clop of a horse was muted by the dusty road. It was late in the night to be travelling and with no moon and only star to guide, and it could be treacherous as well. But Jareth was unfazed. He sat straight upon his chestnut, sword sheathed to his left next to a pistol. Both were adorned with diamonds, rubies and pearls, for Jareth loved all things that sparkled.

Jareth stirred in the saddle and urged the horse forward at a little quicker pace. It would not do to be seen come daylight in this part of the country, but tonight he would brave it, and any other night that _she_ desired.

The horse, attuned to its rider, moved into an easy canter and followed the dirt road to a small off path. The horse knew the way well, and without any coaxing turned down the way. Jareth smirked as the beast moved fast and surefooted down the winding path. Knows there is food and rest at the end, Jareth thought to himself. The chestnut stallion gave a soft call into the night and was answered by another horse. Jareth smiled. Bess never kept him waiting. He grew excited and his pants tightened as he made the final turn into the meadow.

Bess was already there, sitting on fur rugs she had piled on the ground. A few candles had lit as well and the candle light danced upon her. Jareth drank in the sight. Bess' clothes were tossed upon a few boulders; all she wore was her undergarments, still cinched tight to add wonderful curves to her body.

As the horse pulled into the meadow, Bess paused braiding her long black hair and flashed him a radiant smile. "Jareth."

He loved the sound of his name on her mouth, always so breathy and intense. With a returned smile, he dismounted the stallion and tied it next to Bess' grey mare. "Been here long, love?" Her eyes twinkled as she gave a small shake of the head. "Good." Rummaging through the saddlebags, Jareth produced two gilded, silver chalices and a bottle of wine from the mainland. "I have brought us a prize tonight," he said was he presented the wine with a flourish. Bess laughed and followed Jareth's every movement with those dark eyes. For a moment their eyes met and Jareth's breath left him. He abandoned the unopened bottle and pulled Bess to him, kissing her before she uttered any sound.

He felt her hands moving all over his body, pulling and tugging at lace and belts and string. His task was easier. With a few deft moves her laces came undone and the white cloth fell loosely around her body. He ached looking at her like that, desire burning strong in them both.

Those dark eyes burned brightest of all in the candle light as she lightly touched him, causing a shiver to run down his entire body. "Jareth," she said softly, enticing, as she pulled him down upon her.

* * *

The bed was hot, sweaty, and slightly sticky when Jareth opened his eyes. The fire had long since died, but the embers glowed red hot still. He glanced out the window; dawn was still a few hours away by the look and smell of the air. He shook his long blond hair out of his face and removed himself from his bed, grabbing a plain blue robe form a sitting chair in the process.

Warily he made his way to the window, bare feet making no sound on the stone floor. Looking out over the darkened Labyrinth usually brought him some comfort, but not tonight. He did not begrudge those dreams, but they were bittersweet and never left his mind as at ease as his body afterwards. He leaned on the sill and gazed out, his mismatched eyes searching the distance for something, anything. For a few minutes more he lingered there before turning away. The stone walls were suffocating him, he needed to get out. Instantly he was dressed in black riding leathers, and with a little magical assistance he was in the stables.

The goblins that cared for the horses were scattered and sleeping in the stalls with their charges. Jareth ignored them all and strolled silently to his favorite stallion. The chestnut whinnied softly as it caught Jareth's scent and kicked the paddock door lightly. Jareth opened the door and the stallion followed him out into clearing. Jareth mounted; he rode with no bridle and no saddle. There was no point. No horse could throw him, and no harm would be done should he fall. After a few prances in a circle, the stallion turned and galloped into the Labyrinth, helping Jareth to outrun dreams of a green eyed beauty.

* * *

Sarah looked at herself in the mirror, barely hoping the sight was true. Her hands were clutched tightly together, her green eyes were flashing back at her. It was finally happening! She was going to be married in only a week's time. She moved left and right in her white gown and watched as the folds of shimmering fabric swished with her. In a moment of child-like indulgence she bounced up and down with a giggle.

Two years ago she never would have dreamed of marrying Derrick Scott. She had been content being Sarah Williams, a small town drama teacher and occasional actress. It was at a small production where she first met the amiable (and wealthy) Derrick Scott. Before she really knew what had happened, he had swept her off her feet in a whirlwind romance. The next year he proposed.

Her eyes dropped to see the multiple diamond ring on her finger, bring her back to the present. Oh! She was going to get married! A wide smile crossed her features, mirrored by her reflection. She was excited, and she couldn't wait to share it with her Labyrinth friends. The mirror showed her green eyes twinkling mischievously and Sarah quietly turned away and stuck her head out of the trying room door. No one was around; everyone was busy with other customers. With deft quickness she locked the door and spun back towards the mirror.

The Labyrinth was still her treasured secret. Year after year she called upon her friends. Though time left its mark upon her, Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo barely changed. The last time she had called on Hoggle, he had made her promise to show her dress, and the perfect opportunity was at hand.

Sarah straightened her hair and pulled the strapless dress up an inch, took a deep breath and called out through the mirror, "Hoggle!" Instantly the glass began to ripple like raindrops on a still lake. Colors blurred and merged and then the mirror snapped back into focus, only instead of seeing her reflection, the dwarf Hoggle glanced back at her.

He fidgeted for a moment before setting down a scrubbing brush and bucket. "Err, now maint be the best time, Sarah…"  
"Oh, but Hoggle! Look!" She turned a pretty circle, failing to see the urgency on her friend's wrinkled face. "I'm wearing my wedding gown!" She smiled brightly.

Before Hoggle could finish his sentence a new figure appeared behind him. It was someone that Sarah had not seen in nearly fifteen years. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to a small wordless "Oh". The Goblin King, her mind screamed.

She briefly saw shock on his aristocratic features before his eyes narrowed. In one smooth motion a crystal appeared on is fingertips. He threw the crystal, the mirrors shattering. Sarah was left looking at fragmented glass and the memory of Hoggle's terrified face, and that of a very angry Goblin King.

* * *

Hoggle stood speechless as his monarch towered above him, fists clinched and shoulders visibly shaking. "Your Majesty…" Hoggle began, but with Jareth's whispered 'Silence' all other words left him.

Jareth was in turmoil. He stood clinching his fists and refusing to move. That girl! That was Sarah! He had not seen nor heard from her, had not wanted to, but seeing her before him, a woman grown, pulled at him. She looked like the woman in his dreams, and he was not prepared for the surge of feelings that accompanied seeing her. Through gritted teeth, he finally addressed Hoggle. "And what were you doing?"

Hoggle visibly swallowed. "Nothing, your Majesty. She calls to me sometimes. She, she's just wanting to show me her gown."

"Gown for what?" Jareth snapped.

Hoggle twisted his hands nervously. "She's… she's to be married soon." He involuntarily flinched, unsure what the king's reaction might be.

Jareth merely shook his head. "Get out of my sight, Hoghead." He watched Hoggle give a hasty bow before walking as quickly as his stubby legs would carry him. Before he reached the door, Jareth called out to him. "And Hoggle, if ever I find you using my mirrors again, a more horrible fate than the Bog will await you." Hoggle paled and he ran from the room.

Jareth sighed and tried to ease the tension from his shoulders. He straightened his back and took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. Sarah had left a stain on his memories, a stain on his pride. The words she spoke so long ago had shaped the game and shaped his role. She wanted a villain that loved her, and he had obliged. But he had never once during her run believed she would refuse him in the end. Never once did he think he would have pleaded with her to …what were the words… "Love me, fear me, do as I say," he shuddered at the memory.

Sarah defeated him, returned home with the child, and a small bit of his pride. That was the end of his involvement! He knew Hoggle occasionally spoke to her through the mirrors. Sometimes the little dwarf let spilt information that Jareth did not want.

But the dreams…the dreams of Bess had always been with him. Jareth began walking aimlessly through the stone corridors of the castle, the only sounds the clicking of his boots and sighs that escaped spontaneously. The girl in his dream, Bess, bore an uncanny resemblance to a Sarah grown. Time moved differently for Jareth, but he knew these dreams had plagued him for as long as he could remember. It was his way of remembering a past that was long gone, but…the resemblance between Sarah and Bess unnerved him.

A streak of light caught Jareth's eyes and he glanced around in slight wonderment. Sometime during his inner ramblings he found his way to the throne room. The goblins winged about indolently, sparing quick glances at their king. Jareth made his way to this stone throne, where a small goblin was sleeping, curled in a ball of fluffy fur. Jareth snatched the goblin up, hanging upside down and arched his brows. "What are you doing in my chair?"

The goblin scrunched its narrow nose and gave a toothy grin, "Keeping it warm?" It offered helpfully. The room erupted into a choir of laughing, cackling, hooting goblins.

Jareth dropped the goblin, annoyed, and shouted over the din. "Out!" The goblins, very in tune with their monarch, stopped laughing and scurried quickly (albeit noisily) from the room. Shaking his head, Jareth moved toward the window and eased himself onto the ledge. The Labyrinth in all its vast glory sprawled before him, bathed in a warm red glow from the afternoon sun. Life was simple out in his maze. The creatures of the Underground moved endlessly forward. They slept, they ate, the loved, and all with the simple naiveté that tomorrow would continue on the same as yesterday. He bitterly envied them.

A shimmer in the air alerted Jareth to a visitor. He turned to see a red ball enlarge to the size of a person, and a woman stepped forward into focus. Dressed in flowing layers of crimsons, the woman stood smiling. Her hair was wild, dancing around her like flames, her bright amber eyes lit up the delicate features of her face, and a strong aura of magic radiated away from her. She leaned against the window sill, "Hello, Jareth."

With an elegant nod of the head, Jareth returned the smile. "Temanna, what a pleasant surprise."

She smirked and gestured to the empty room. "No court today, hmm?" Jareth tried to hide the frown that passed over his face, but Temanna saw and pounced on it like a cat. "What's wrong?"  
Jareth sat still, not unwilling to answer, merely grasping for words. He avoided Temanna's eyes; instead, he continued to gaze out at his Labyrinth. "I believe Bess may have returned." The words started haltingly, but once he started the whole story flowed from him, about how he had met Sarah as a child, how he allowed her to win, how he saw her today. "Hoggle says Sarah will soon be married."

Temanna had listened to the tale with avid curiosity. "Sarah, hm? Well, how can you be sure she is the one? Maybe that resemblance is all they have in common, my friend."

A bitter smile graced Jareth's lips. "And how am I to discover if she is? Sarah and I did not exactly part on the best of terms."

With a deep breath, Temanna rocked back on her heels. "Jareth, do you think she knows?" He shook his head and she laid a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe telling her before her wedding would be advisable."

He laughed at her words, knowing them to be true. He truly needed to speak with Sarah, but he dreaded the confrontation almost as much as he longed for it. For if she was Bess…if she was…Jareth pushed the thought aside and conjured a crystal to his fingertips. He peered in and laughed again as he placed the orb down on the ledge before jumping lightly from the window. "I bid you adieu," was all he said before bowing and blinking out of the room.

Temanna crossed her arms and moved closer to the crystal so she could peer in its depths. Within, she saw a grand room full of people in elegant gowns and suits. Everyone was laughing, smiling, enjoying the company around them, but the crystal was focused on a raven-haired woman. Temanna picked up the crystal and gazed intently into the image of the green-eyed Sarah and chills went down her spine. What would her sisters think of this new development?

* * *

The large ballroom was spared no expense and was decorated in silver and gold, two things that were near and dear to Derrick Scott's heart. From the multiple columns surrounding the room layers of sheen fabric hung. Every corner was gleaming with candles that sat upon tall silver candelabras. Small round tables were set with exquisite care, all with white linen table and chair covers and a bouquet of white and gold roses in the center. A live orchestra played soft music and the entire hall was overflowing with people in period dress. Derrick had though Sarah would enjoy such a lavish party and informed all the guests that 17th century attire was necessary. Sure, he felt a little foolish in his custom made tights and his poet's shirt, but it was enough to see Sarah happy and radiant as the guest of honor.

When Jareth arrived, the party was in full swing. No one remained to welcome him in, so he just entered. And what an entrance he made. Before him were the most prominent people in town, dressed to the nines in custom, hand-made liveries that included silks, velvets, suede and leathers. But they all noticed Jareth in his gold silken tights and his silver and gold jacket that glistened in the candlelight with (could their eyes be deceiving them) genuine diamonds sewn into the frock. His boots and gloves were of a shining bleached white; his blond hair had shimmering of gold and silver. They all felt different in this man's presence, this man who moved stealthily through the crowd like a prowling cat, his lips turned up in a feral grin. The wealthiest of them all looked upon Jareth and felt shabby. The women followed him with envious eyes, but Jareth paid them little attention until a man with thinning hair, a good foot shorter than him, blocked his path. The man had an amiable face and shook Jareth's hand.

"So good to see you! So good for you to come. Are you one of Sarah's friends?"

Jareth laughed aloud, knowing full well Sarah would never call him such a thing. "Yes, an old friend," he managed to say as he retrieved his hand.

"Good!" The man continued. His cheeks were rosy and he held a champagne flute in a free hand. "Don't meet many of her friends, my Sarah. She's a private one." The last he whispered in a conspiracy.

The man was near drunk and slurring his words, but Jareth did not miss the possessive he attached to Sarah's name. "Indeed," was all he replied before plastering a wide and fake smile on his face. "And where can I find the lady of honor? I wish to pay my respects."

The man paused and thought. "Last I saw, she was handing out drinks. I told her she'd have to stop that. No wife of Derrick Scot was going to serve guests, but she just laughed."

Jareth's mismatched eyes narrowed and Derrick paused before saying anymore. And when Jareth made a polite exit, Derrick was left wondering at his thoughts. Those odd eyes had frightened him badly, and Derrick Scott was not one to be frightened. He swallowed nervously, glancing at his empty glass.

Jareth moved through the room until he came to a small ante-chamber. Many guests were standing and talking in this room. Two large bay doors were opened to a dimly lit garden. And up against a wall, handing out pre-poured flutes, he finally saw Sarah. She was radiant and unlike everyone else, Sarah belonged in her silver and gold gown. A corset kept the strapless dress tight to her body, her hair was messily piled up in curls and she handed out flutes with unreserved joy. He found himself before her, but she did not look up. She only asked, "What can I get you?"

He smiled devilishly, "Such an open-ended question."

Sarah's blood turned cold, her breath caught in her chest and for a moment she contemplated not looking up, not acknowledging that crisp, accented voice. But from somewhere deep inside her, she found courage and snapped her eyes up to meet her old foe. "What are you doing here?" She hissed.

Jareth visibly paused before answering, and it unnerved her. A brief open look crossed his features, but was replaced with a cocky grin. "My dear, I doubt you would believe me."

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell slack. Then her green eyes focused and she flew around the table. It wasn't lost on her that she and the Goblin King were now eye to eye. "What? That's not good enough!" Her voice was rising and guests began to glance in their direction.

Jareth frowned and grabbed Sarah by the forearm, "You're making a scene," he chided as he guided them outside to the garden. Too stunned by his actions, Sarah allowed herself to be led into the dimly lit garden, but the cool night air brought her back to her senses and she jerked free. Jareth gave her an annoyed look.

Sarah shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Ok. What do you want? You didn't hurt Hoggle did you? I tried to call back, but the mirrors…" her voice trailed off as she watched Jareth's amused expression. She sighed, confused. There was no reason for the Goblin King to be standing before her, no jeering, no teasing, no demanding. Any of those actions she would know how to handle, but this calm silence was maddening. And why was he staring at her! In exasperation she dropped her hands to her sides and sighed, "Jareth…"

Before she said another word a fire lit behind Jareth's eyes and he closed the small gap between them, claiming her mouth with his. Shock kept her still as she felt him pull her closer, and then strange feelings washed over her. Feelings of belonging, of rightness, of emotions so overwhelming she began returning the kiss, her hands moving up his chest of their own volition. Then the shock wore off and was replaced with horror, then anger. She pulled back from him, breathless and red-faced, scowling. "What in the world…" she cut through the air with a sharp gesture, "Strike that. What in _both_ worlds do you think you're doing?" She was amazed her voice sounded so calm, she wasn't even shouting, and yet Jareth flinched just an inch.

The truth was, he hadn't been thinking. He hadn't had any warning of his actions, it was just her eyes. _Her_ eyes and the way Sarah had sighed his name brought back memories and emotions long since buried. And now, Sarah stood before him, eyes flashing in righteous anger and there was nothing he could say. Nothing he could grasp except that for a moment it felt like Bess, his Bess, was kissing and holding him. And when Sarah pulled away it left a hollow feeling that also left him speechless.

"I'm waiting," she reminded him impatiently.

"We should speak alone, Sarah. There is something I wish to discuss with you." His honesty surprised and intrigued her, but Jareth noted a deep suspicion in her eyes.

"You want to talk to me?" When he nodded, her brows rose in arches. "Why now? Why after all this time?"

Voices from inside began calling Sarah's name and Jareth turned his head in annoyance. "Perhaps that can wait until later." He turned back to her and caught her eyes in his gaze. "Meet me tomorrow. Anywhere. Call and I will appear."

At first, Sarah was prepared to tell him to go to hell, but the urgent look in his eyes forced her to hold her tongue. How often did an other-worldly creature seek out her presence? It was more than just curiosity that allowed her to nod to his request, but agree she did. And when a genuine smile crossed the Goblin King's face her breath stopped. Sarah had forgotten how devastatingly beautiful that face could be. He gave an elegant bow, straightened and began walking away. As an after-thought he called over his shoulder, "You look radiant," before he faded away.

It was too much. Sarah's strength faded away much as the king and her knees began to shake. Hysteria was bubbling just under the surface and a nervous giggle escaped her lips. What was she thinking? What was she doing? She blindly began walking back inside, the party, the people seeming so far away. How had she agreed to meet him? And why was she so excited at the thought? Knees shaking, she settled herself into a chair and looked down at her folded hands afraid someone would see her flushed face and suspect something. A small part of her knew she should feel ashamed at having kissed Jareth, but another part of her wondered where all that passion had come from. Resolutely, she vowed to find out.

"Sarah!" Derrick Scott was smiling and leading a strange woman over to meet her.

Immediately, Sarah knew this woman belonged Underground. Maybe it was the sharp angles of her face, prominent cheekbones, and the slanted eyes that shone such a bright green they made her own eyes seem blue. Maybe it was the volume of blond curls that fell around her curvy body that was accented by a green sparkling form fitting gown. Maybe it was the way her cherry red lips were formed in a half-smile. But mostly, it was the way she moved through the crowd, so smooth, so elegant. The woman made everyone seem dull and drab compared to her brilliance, and in Sarah's limited experience, only people from the Underground could accomplish such a feat.

Derrick brought her over with a drunken grin. "I found another one of your friends. Me and…" He grasped for a name.

The woman smiled and supplied graciously, "Heryah," and extended a slender, well-manicured hand to Sarah. "And actually," she continued shaking hands, "Sarah and I have never had the pleasure. But we have a common acquaintance."

Derrick lightly slapped his forehead, "Heryah! That's right. Said she was looking for that dashing fellow."

Sarah stood and goose bumps crawled up and down her arms as Heryah inspected her. "I'm sorry, but it seems you've just missed Jareth."

"Indeed?" Heryah kept a smile on her face, but all warmth left her green eyes. "How unfortunate. But it was such a pleasure to meet you."

Sarah forced a smile. "Likewise." Wrapping an arm through Derrick's arm, Sarah began moving away from the intimidating woman, false sorrow on her face. "Excuse us." Heryah nodded and Derrick rambled on about nothing as Sarah steered him away.

Once Sarah and Derrick were out of sight, Heryah allowed her lips to fall to a frown and clinched her hands into tight fists, leaving small crescent moon imprints. It wasn't fair. She had tried so hard to garner the attention of the Goblin King; it just wasn't fair that this mortal girl could grab his attention so easily. Jealousy so strong and powerful overwhelmed her senses and for a brief moment she saw red. It wasn't fair at all. With a flip of her blond hair, Heryah turned and left the party, disappearing as soon as she crossed the door.

In her hurry she failed to see a woman dressed in shades of blue with rich brown hair standing in the shadows. This woman watched Heryah's movements with quiet intensity, blue eyes suspicious and curious. As Heryah exited, so too did this woman prepare to leave, but a dancing figure caught her attention. Without leaving the shadows, she watched with amazement as she saw familiar green eyes, dark hair, and she bit her lips. If Heryah saw…if Heryah knew…the woman in blue became alarmed and vanished from the room.

By the time the party was done Sarah and Derrick returned to their condo, her feet were sore and her eyelids were heavy. Derrick wobbled to their bed and barely had energy to remove the heavy leather vest and boots. The poet's shirt came off and he lowered himself into bed, breathing deeply as soon as his head hit the pillows with a smile, Sarah adjusted him so he lay under the covers. Then she yanked on the laces that held her dress on and shimmied out of the heavy gown, carefully laying it on a lounge. The house was very still and quiet. Only the tick-tick-tick of the old grandfather clock broke the silence. Sarah yawned, slipped into a nightgown and readied herself for bed, her mind too tired to really think anything other than, "I'll deal with it all tomorrow."

* * *

It was dark and quiet in the dream. The darkness was like a suffocating blanket, trapping all her anxiety and fear around her. The silence made every breath a scream, every heart beat a pounding drum in her ears. A single beam of moonlight broke through the clouds and dread, the deepest dread came over her. For through her window and across the moor, lit by the moon was the road _he_ would ride. Cold sweat began dripping down her back. She had to warn him! There were Red Coats at the inn!

She tried to move, but could not. Looking down, the dream came into focus. The barrel of a musket was pressed into her breast, the cold metal seeping through her nightclothes. Her hands were tied to her sides, binding her to the bed post with rough rope.

"Post men at every window and door, weapons at the ready. If he shows his face, take the shot," said a calm, cool voice from downstairs.

Her mind cried out in terror. _His_ voice came unbidden from her memories, "Wait for me, I'm after a prize tonight. Watch for me by the moonlight." Oh the moonlight, the traitorous moonlight that lit the world. There had to be a way to warn him. She dropped her head, tears falling freely as she twisted and turned her wrists. The rough hemp burned and tore at her skin, but still she struggled against the bonds.

A sound in the distance caught her attention and she held very still. Please, please let that be any other sound, she prayed silently. But her prayers went unanswered as the soft c'lot-c'lot of horses hooves cantered down the road. Panic set in and she pulled harder at the ropes, her fingertips moist with sweat and blood, but still she pulled, choking back her sobs and praying the soldiers hadn't heard the hooves. How couldn't they! It was all she could hear: c'lot-c'lot-c'lot.

The bindings finally gave just an inch, and she was able to free a hand. Despair clung to her though, her neck, arms, chest and legs and feet were still tied with unrelenting knots. There was no time. She could save him. Her green eyes focused on the road before her with grim determination. Without hesitation her fingers found and pulled the trigger, the resounding shot shattering the dark and quiet of the night.

* * *

Sarah awoke screaming and clutching her chest, her black hair sweaty and clingy; her breath coming in gasping sobs. The light clicked on and Derrick rubbed confused eyes. "Jesus Christ, Sarah!" He was more angry than concerned, the alcohol making him slow to grasp the situation, but once he saw her pale face, shaking body and wild panicked eyes, he came to his senses. His Sarah was obviously distraught. He reached for her trying to offer comfort, but paused when the movement caused her to look at him. The usual green of her eyes were hidden by enlarged pupils, creating an odd blackness that startled him. But more alarming was the utter lack of recognition in those pools of black. "Sarah?" Derrick tried to reach for her, but she flung herself backwards, like a startled bird.

Sarah was confused as she stood staring at a man with brown eyes and brown hair. It was wrong! There was someone else she was looking for, she was sure. But who? Before coherent thought reclaim her, she ran to the large window and slid it open. The burst of cool air sent shivers through her, but she ignored it, searching in the night for someone. An image of piercing blue eyes came to mind, and flowing blond hair as wild as a lion's mane.

Derrick slowly made way to Sarah, one careful step at a time. He was afraid of what any sudden movement might do. Never had he seen Sarah act so strange, something had obviously frightened her, and badly. "Sarah," he tried again with outstretched arms, "Sarah…"

Sarah. Her name was Sarah. With a few deep breaths her head cleared and she turned towards Derrick. There was no hesitation and she ran into his open arms. He was making hushing sounds against her hair as he held her tight and she took another deep breath.

After a few moments, Derrick pulled away and peered at her face, "Bad dreams?" He asked kindly leading them back to bed.

Heat rushed to her face, and suddenly Sarah felt very foolish. Dreams were just dreams, right? There was no reason at all for her to be so affected. She laughed, though it sounded flat and weak. "It must have been." Together they climbed back under the covers. Derrick turned off the light and pulled Sarah to him, her back pushed against his chest. Only minutes went by before Derrick slept again. Derrick Scott was a simple man. In his mind he had encountered a situation, confronted it, and dealt with it. There was no need to evaluate and he moved on, clear of conscious. Sarah envied him. The dream was fading back into a haze and it was hard to remember what had frightened her so. She was able to settle back into sleep, but the rest of her dreams involved a velvety voice calling to her, "Watch for me by the moonlight."


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to The Highwayman. A few notes here. One, I sadly do not own Labyrinth or the poem "The Highwayman", though the latter is a favorite of mine. I do own the Three Sisters and Derrick Scott. Now, enjoy Chapter 2!**

* * *

The morning sun has a way of chasing away the shadows of night. Everything is calmer, clearer in the light and drams fade into oblivion as warm rays of pink and gold wash over the world. Sarah woke late, the morning light shining on her face. Sleep had refreshed her, the dream nothing but a distant memory. She indolently stretched out on the bed, her fingers brushing against a piece of paper. Curiosity peaked; she sat and read a short note in Derrick's blocky print.

"Thought you could use the extra rest. I'll be at the office until three." He signed his signature with a flourish.

Sarah smiled and pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her cheek upon them. It was nice to be protected and sheltered and Sarah was mostly grateful. But there was something that Derrick Scoot couldn't shelter her from: an upcoming meeting with a certain Goblin King. She went through her morning motions, her thoughts far away. Except for yesterday's brief (and intense) meeting with Jareth, she hadn't seen him in nearly fifteen years. Hoggle complained about him constantly, but as Sarah grew older she came to understand that Hoggle had a grudging admiration for his king, even if said king intimidated him.

She remembered a time when Hoggle had embarrassingly shown her a new shiny button for his vest. When she asked about it, he had blushed and mumbled something about Jareth and a promotion. Though seeing Jareth was a shock, Sarah had never forgotten him, and somewhere through the years accepted his presence. He was strangely like a friend of a friend, and it was time to become reacquainted.

Sarah chose the setting carefully and after consideration decided to call on the Goblin King at a park near her old home. Long ago she had played at being a hero among the tall oaks and pines. The brick bridge that lay above the stream made a perfect back drop to all her childhood fantasies. Here, she believed she would be on equal ground with the enigmatic king. A light breeze blew her hair away from her face and for a moment she basked in the sunlight, letting it warm her and calm her. Finally, knowing there was no more time to stall, she called out a single name.

Nothing immediately happened, and Sarah sat down hard on a stone bench, trying to conceal her disappointment. She found herself watching the people pass on the street. How normal they all looked. Did any of them have one foot in a different world? She highly doubted it. For reasons unknown to her, Sarah was blessed with the knowledge of the Underground, and she loved holding that secret close to her heart.

A shriek from the sky caused Sarah to jump and turn her eyes up. The sun's glare made it hard to see, but winging down towards the wooded park was a snowy white owl. It spiraled down into the trees and Sarah quickly left her bench and followed, anticipation rising. She arrived in time to witness the owl transformation. She had seen it before, but had forgotten how amazing the morph from owl to man looked, and how utterly magical. In one moment a majestic owl was flying, and in the next stood the Goblin King, dressed in rich red and tans, a golden medallion gleamed in the sunlight from his chest. Sarah stood still a moment before laughing, "That's a hell of an entrance," she said genuinely impressed.

Jareth smirked and moved forward, effortlessly closing the distance between them, circling around Sarah. Once so he could drink in the sight, twice to stall for time. Though he had stayed awake all night preparing to speak with Sarah, he found himself at a rather awkward silence. How does one proclaim feelings to another? It was further complicated by the fact that this was _Sarah_; the same Sarah who had defeated him so many years ago, and the same Sarah who stood proud and unafraid before him now. The same Sarah who was brave enough to challenge him, brave enough to meet him.

Sarah patiently waited as Jareth circled around her. At fifteen she had been determined not to be afraid when he had prowled around her, aware on some deep instinctual level that she was a form of prey. But now, as she was older, she came to realize that Jareth never stood still for long. Even after he finished circling her, his eyes flickered left and right, left and right. There was something in the way he looked at her, both hungry and yearning that terrified and excited her. The air was so tense she couldn't bare it any longer and spoke to break the tension, "So…" she began but then dropped off, unsure what to say.

Jareth shifted away from her and saved her the trouble. "Why are you marrying this man, Sarah?"

Her mouth hung open as she stared at Jareth's back. Why? "Derrick has been wonderful to me," she stammered as a reply, too shocked by the conversation to feel indignant.

Jareth smirked over his shoulder and glanced around, seemingly inspecting the wood, the park, everything and anything but her. "Why did you call on me, so long ago?"

Again Sarah was taken aback. For some reason, this was not how she expected this meeting to go, but she answered anyway. "I honestly didn't know what would happen?"

"Oh you didn't?" Jareth moved before, so quick it startled her, but Jareth just smiled. "That's not how it works, Sarah. Summons of that nature never work without true believing." He watched as she lowered her eyes and frowned; silently pleased she did not move away from him.

Sarah thought back to that long ago day, determined not to let Jareth's closeness bother her. What had made her call out to him? That play of hers, so aptly named "The Labyrinth" had captured her attention completely. She had lived and breathed that book, believing at the time that the words were true, words she echoed aloud, "But what no one knew, was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl and given her special powers…" her voice trailed away to a whisper. Love? That was insane! The Goblin King didn't, no couldn't! love her. Shaking her head she denied the words with a fury, "None of that was real!" She turned away missing the brief look of hurt on Jareth's face. "This is crazy," she continued as she paced around the king. "What do you think you're doing? Trying to ruin my life?" She accused him. "I'm going to be married in _five_ days, the last thing I need is you playing games!"

That was too far, much too far, but Sarah only realized it too late. The shock of being yelled at left Jareth, and his blue eyes focused on her. Faster than she could blink, he had an iron grip on her forearm and she was pulled close to him, "Do you think this is a game?" He growled, voice low, "Then you know nothing." They stared at each other, time slowing to a crawl. Once, she tried to pull away, but his fingers squeezed and she decided to remain very still. There was something animal in his eyes and he continued to speak, "You think this is like before? That you can say magic words and everything disappears?" He paused, and with a slight shake of the head spoke again, "There is more at stake here, Sarah." His gaze and grip softened and he moved a strand of hair from her face.

The action was so natural, so smooth, like he had done it a thousand times. Even though his grip on her arm was lessened, she didn't pull away. There was something that made her stay, a distant memory of someone reaching out to her…like a dream she could not quite place.

Jareth felt, more than physically saw, a change in Sarah. At first he believed he had said too much. He hadn't meant to express himself so openly, but her flippant disregard angered him. But now, nearly face to face, he watched as her eyes glazed over. When she looked up at him, he knew she was seeing _through_ him, _past_ him, and when she whispered long forgotten words he grasped both her shoulders. "What, what did you just say?"

Sarah blinked and focused on the pair of blue eyes before her, his wild blond hair was moving on the breeze, just like in her dream. "Watch for me by the moonlight," she replied louder, stronger, more confident. The change in Jareth was instantaneous, and this time she knew he was going to kiss her, but she was still unprepared. The passion of the kiss left her weak and had it not been for strong arms holding onto her, Sarah would have fallen limply to the ground. But Jareth _was_ holding her and she was holding him, clutching tightly to his velvet vest. The world around her narrowed until all that remained was the two of them and a kiss. And somewhere in that moment a realization came to her. This man before her loved her, loved her with an all-consuming passion that left her dizzy and exhilarated. New emotions washed over her again, so strange and yet so familiar, so strong they scared her and she broke the kiss.

Jareth took several breaths as he inspected the woman before him. Sarah looked at him with new understanding in her green eyes, but he also saw fear and hesitation. He lightly caressed her cheek with the back of his gloved hand, "I need you to remember," he whispered softly against her ear.

Swallowing hard, she stared at her hands, still clutching his vest. "I don't know how…and…I'm afraid." The last she finished as she lifted her eyes. Jareth was smiling at her, that breathtaking smile that made her heart skip a beat.

"You have more courage than anyone I have ever met," was all he said, and Sarah believed him. Every word he said seemed to give her strength. At that moment is was so easy to forget the outside worlds, but the world never stays forgotten for long.

A piercing ring from Sarah's jean pocket broke the moment and Sarah released her hold on Jareth and scrambled to answer her cell phone, fumbling with the buttons before finally saying hello. The voice of Derrick Scott cut through the wood and Jareth moved away. Sarah was unsure what she was saying on the phone, too preoccupied watching Jareth, secretly worried he would vanish. Her automatic replies must have been inadequate. Derrick paused and asked, "Is everything alright, Sarah?"

Forcing herself, she turned away from Jareth and concentrated on her conversation. "Yeah! Sorry, Derrick, I was just trying to decide on some fruit for lunch." The rest of the conversation was short and sweet, but when she said goodbye she felt guilty, but oddly enough, not towards her fiance. When she turned back to face Jareth she half expected him to have left. But he stood there, daylight surrounding him in a halo. He was dazzling in the sunlight, a faint light radiated away from him. The apology died on her lips when she saw understanding in his eyes.

He smiled sadly and looked upward. Staying Above was taxing and draining. He needed to return Underground and soon. Sarah knew he was planning to leave and a panic swept through her. Would he return? A strange ache filled her chest and she wrapped her arms around her afraid to ask, but Jareth seemed to sense her hesitance. Before he vanished, he spoke reassuring words. "Remember, Sarah. Remember, and I will appear."

Then he was gone, and with him went that certain brilliance. Now there was only Sarah, alone and confused in a world that seemed to have dulled before her eyes. Jareth said she was brave, but she felt more afraid than she ever had in her life. Even more afraid than when she ran the Labyrinth. Now, there was no book to tell her the ending, no way for her to know how the story would end. The only real thing she knew with any certainty was that Jareth, the Goblin King, loved her. Everything seemed to pale in comparison. With a heavy heart and a confused mind, Sarah turned from the park and went to find a nearby fruit stand.

* * *

Returning to the castle was bittersweet. Being a creature of magic, Jareth required the Underground to sustain him. Trips Above used enormous amounts of magic that tended to leave him tired and drained. But it was all worth it to see Bess. No, his mind corrected, as he walked to his private wing of the castle. It wasn't Bess before him anymore, it was Sarah. He wasn't chasing a ghost; Sarah was real and within touch, and she was beginning to understand. When she spoke those words, those last words he ever spoke to Bess, he knew: Sarah had the memories, locked deep somewhere inside her. All she needed to do was remember.

Though it was only early evening in the Labyrinth, Jareth was exhausted. Sleep had had not been easy the last two nights and the Aboveground visit had worn him thin. All he wanted was a glass of wine and slumber. Surely he was entitled to that. He rounded the corner to his suite and paused, slightly taken aback. The dwarf Hoggle was fidgeting in front of his door, wearing a look of half determination and half horror.

"I don't have time for you, Hoghead," Jareth said resuming walking.

Hoggle bristled like he always did when his name was mispronounced, but defiantly stayed. "You should be making time."

That was new. Hoggle rarely argued with Jareth, except where Sarah was involved. He paused before the dwarf and lifted his brows, "Oh?"

Instead of flinching, Hoggle dug into his pocket and fetched out a scrying crystal. "Shouldn't leave 'em lying around like that! Anyone could see." Jareth allowed the rebuff to go unanswered. For once, it seemed the dwarf was correct. He retrieved the crystal and it vanished in his grasp; the suspicious look on Hoggle's face was then replaced with smugness. "You should thank me, you know. The Green Sister was snooping around here."

Jareth clinched his jaw. "Heryah? Is she still here?"

"Aye," Hoggle said with a nod. "Insisted on waiting 'til you returned." The dwarf grinned, "Tolds her you were inspecting the Labyrinth."

Jareth laughed. It was no secret that Heryah hated the Labyrinth. The Green Sister was known for her claustrophobia, and the twisting, ever-changing walls of the maze were like a plague she avoided at all costs. "Hoggle, you did well." Hoggle's mouth fell slack from shock, and Jareth continued speaking. "Go tell her I shall see her in the study." Hoggle nodded and with a quick, "Yes, Majesty," ambled down the hall. A sudden desire to be kind came over Jareth and he called back to the dwarf. Poor Hoggle was scared to death as he returned to his king. Jareth on a good day was mercurial; Jareth on a bad day was dangerous. He thought he had escaped unharmed, even if he had argued with the king. With trepidation, Hoggle stood before his king, staring down at soft leather boots. When Jareth knelt down to his eye level, Hoggle blanched. But as he looked closer her saw no malice in his king's mismatched eyes, only amusement.

"I may have been hasty the other day, regarding the mirrors," Jareth began with a small (dare Hoggle think apologetic) smile.

Hoggle worked his mouth, "So…so's I can use them?" He asked hopeful.

Jareth stood in a single movement. "Yes, you may use them. Now go away, Hoggle, and tell Heryah I'll be there shortly." Jareth didn't miss Hoggle's appreciative glance, but said no more, content to watch the dwarf hurry down the halls. As much trouble as Hoggle could be, he was refreshing change from the dimwitted goblins. Jareth couldn't help but grin as he entered his suite. He changed quickly into more casual garb of whites and grey before his meeting with Heryah.

Of the Three Sisters, Heryah was the most vexing. The voluptuous blond made it no secret that she wished to share his bed, and her forwardness irked him. For all of Heryah's beauty she lacked the charming wit of Temanna and the soothing charm of Sophia. But forever quickly grew boring. Jareth could not afford to isolate friends, even if they did arrive at inopportune moments.

As he approached the study warm light from a fire flickered into the hall. He leaned against the door frame and watched as Heryah inspected his books and pens, and assorted odds n' ends. She paused before a large painting of the Labyrinth and shook her head in disgust. Jareth lightly entered the room and suppressed a grin as Heryah jumped as he spoke, "Good evening, Heryah."

A white hand pressed against her chest as she spun around. "Oh Jareth," she said breathlessly, her green eyes sparkling, "you startled me."

Ignoring her response, Jareth moved to a wine rack and purposefully chose a hearty red wine. "Would you care for a glass?" he asked showing the vintage. When she nodded he popped the cork and poured them both a glass, ushering them over to two large chairs beside the fire.

Heryah arranged her dress in such a way that an entire leg was exposed to the hip. She smiled broadly. "I thought to visit you last night."

It was difficult keeping the annoyance from showing in his eyes. "I had previous engagements," he replied smoothly sipping the wine.

"Above, perhaps?" She wore an innocent expression, but Jareth noted a sharpness to her green eyes. Heryah would never ask such a question without already knowing the answer, but Heryah did not wait for a reply. Slowly, she rose from her chair, careful to move in a way that would accentuate her curves. "You don't need to venture Above for companionship," she said with a purring voice. Jareth was amazed when Heryah took his glass and leaned in close to him, her perfume overflowing his senses.

This wasn't the first time Heryah had tried to seduce him, but this was certainly her most open. He shot her an annoyed glare and ducked under her arms, retrieving his glass and putting distance between them in one fluid motion. "Heryah," he tried to begin, a warning in his voice, but Heryah disregarded his tone.

"Jareth, I could give you everything you ever desired," she pouted her red lips as she gave him a sultry stare.

A deep scowl set upon Jareth's face. "You better than anyone should know that I can't accept." He softened his expression, hoping Heryah would take a hint and drop the subject like she had so many times before. Though her advances were unwanted, her friendship wasn't and he wished to avoid unnecessarily hurting her feelings. However, he was unprepared for her fiery and venomous reply.

"You want a ghost!" You have spent centuries searching for a memory, and why?" Heryah's voice shrieked. So caught up in the moment she failed to notice the dangerous tensing of Jareth's body. Instead, she continued, "And now you see this mortal whore-"She never had a chance to finish her sentence. One minute Jareth was across the room, the next he was standing before her, bearing down on her in such fury she was truly afraid.

"I would hold your tongue, if I were you!" The temperature dropped, the fire sputtered before dying out and Jareth's blond hair danced wildly on an unseen breeze. The air was electric and Jareth's eyes were aglow. He resumed a slow, steady approach; Heryah began backtracking until her back was against a cold, stone wall. Jareth was torn. He was furious and the clinching of his fists was all that kept him from wringing Heryah's skinny neck, yet never in his long existence had he raised a hand to a woman. Heryah raised her hands in defense and it caused Jareth to pause. There was fear in her eyes, genuine fear, and some of the tension eased from his body. He stepped away, and as he did the room returned to a normal temperature, the fire roared back to life.

He made a point of turning his back on Heryah, and he retrieved his glass of wine. "We're not going to speak of this again, are we?"

Chest rising and falling in quick gasps, Heryah managed to utter a quick 'No'. Jareth did not say another word; he only grabbed the bottle of wine and exited the study never looking back. Only when she was sure he wouldn't return did Heryah relax from the wall, taking a deep breath. Now alone, some of the fear was replaced with anger. If she was truly honest with herself she would have recognized shame, but instead she held onto anger.

Never one to analyze her own actions, Heryah sought another explanation for this harsh rejection. She loved Jareth, yearned for him, had for a very long time. And it had seemed to her that her recent advances were working, so what changed? A vision of green eyes, darker than her own, arose in her memory and Heryah sneered. There was only one person who could come between her and Jareth. One person, who against all odds was back into Jareth's life. An all-consuming jealously roared to life within Heryah. Storming to the fireplace, she threw glass and wine into the fire. The goblet shattered, and Heryah remained standing still, an idea forming. A long time ago she removed another competitor for Jareth's affection, and it seemed time to do it again. The irony that it was the same one, was not lost on Heryah and she allowed a devilish smile to form on her lips before disappearing from the castle.

Jareth should have remembered that old adage: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," but living an eternal life changes one's perceptions. No emotion could sway him very long, for he had experienced them all so many times before. The one exception was his love for Sarah. That could sustain him forever, if he allowed it. All the other emotions, however; came and went, never staying. The goblins and other denizens accepted and understood Jareth's temperaments as much as he did. He never paused to question whether other eternal beings felt the same. If he had, he could foresee some future danger in Heryah, but he didn't.

With a brisk walk, Jareth returned to his suite, finally ready to retire. When he saw Hoggle leaving his rooms, his anger flared.

The dwarf, upon seeing his king was quite angry, pre-empted Jareth's rant, "I knows, I knows! You ain't got time for me! And I'm moving, I'm moving!"

Jareth closed his mouth and said nothing, suspiciously watching Hoggle move down the hall before entering his room. He was more than a little surprised to see the fire burning. On his desk was a silver tray, steaming with meats and vegetables. Jareth spun around, half expecting to see the little man gloating silently, but Hoggle was not there. So, Jareth instead sat before his meal and ate in a pleasant silence, touched by the dwarf's thoughtfulness. The rest of the Underground and the Above could wait one night, he decided. Tonight, he was going to sleep.

* * *

Nights in the Underground Autumn, were refreshingly cool compared to the heat of the day. Many creatures become nocturnal during the summer and autumn months, only venturing forth as the sun sets. The Firey's (who gave the wooden area of their home its namesake) were one such race. When dusk fell, the bright red and orange creatures lit campfires, played silly games and sang silly songs. Temanna loved to watch them. Though she never partook in their games, she enjoyed their antics high above on a wide branch from an ancient oak. The Firey's knew she was there tonight, for it was impossible to miss her flaming red hair and crimson flowing robes, and they tried their best to make her laugh.

Some time passed before the air shimmered a hazy blue beside Temanna, and she smiled as her sister, Sophia came into focus. Sophia was the calmest of the Three Sisters, cool as blue as her eyes. She moved effortlessly, seeming to float. Her dress held every color of blue, changing with each movement. Her brown hair fell nearly to her ankles and always seemed to have a life of its own, much like Temanna's red, wavy hair.

Temanna gestured beside her, "Come and sit Sophia! And how are you this evening, sister of mine?"

Sophia sat, but found it difficult to return the smile. She loved Temanna, but her sister rarely stayed serious long enough to have a conversation. But tonight, Sophia would try. "Do you think we have been fair to Jareth?"

That got Temanna's attention and her amber eyes snapped open. "What do you mean fair? We granted him life…"

"Yes, I know….but we made him a bargain too."

"And we'll uphold that bargain," Temanna paused and searched Sophia's troubled face. "Why are you asking this now? What are you hiding?"

Sophia grimaced. It was so easy to fool the self-centered Heryah, but Temanna was more aware. "I think he has found her," she whispered, afraid that if she voiced the thought aloud something bad would happen. Sophia waited for Temanna to exclaim disbelief, but instead she just averted her eyes. "You knew!" Sophia accused.

Temanna nodded and shrugged. "If she can remember her past and her love for Jareth, we will fulfill our end of the bargain." Temanna spoke lightly. Ever an optimist, she believed Jareth and Bess…er…Sarah…would eventually live together. Why wouldn't they?

Sophia took a deep sigh and looked up to the starry night sky. Some clouds were forming and in the distance the unmistakable sound of thunder boomed through the Underground. She stood suddenly, "A storm is coming Temanna." She bit her lip as her sister looked up at her with questioning eyes. "I am not like you and Heryah. She lives her life like these trees, always climbing up, never looking down, never caring who she over shadows. And you, you live like the fires down there, always burning forward, bright and hot, never looking back to see the wreckage you have wrought. But me," she took a deep breath. "I am like the tides ebbing to and fro. I do look back and I do look forward…and I don't like what I see."

Temanna began to worry. Sophia was generally quiet and passive and these things she said were out of character for her. They were true, but that came second to the fact that is was Sophia saying them. The air began to feel heavy as the storm moved closer, but Temanna knew it was a different storm that Sophia spoke. "Tell me your concerns, sister. I hear you." Temanna said as she stood from the branch.

Sophia was relieved to hear the sincerity in Temanna's voice, for she would need one sister's help to stop another. "It's Heryah. I think she might do something rash."

Small drops of rain began to fall, and then with a crack of thunder the rain poured down upon them. The giant oak shielded them from the worse, but still a fine mist surrounded them, dampening their hair and robes. "Go on," Temanna said, raising her voice over the thunder.

"You know she's always been infatuated with Jareth. It was her idea to grant him life."

"He inspired her, Sophia. That was all," defended Temanna.

"And you're lying to yourself!" Sophia shouted. Temanna stepped back in shock, but Sophia continued. "She _wanted him_, and I don't think Heryah had any intention of him finding Bess again." She took a few calming breaths, drops of water ran down her face and she brushed them aside. "Temanna, I think Heryah was responsible for that night."

The rain continued to fall, the night interrupted by flashing lightning and booming thunder and all Temanna could do was stare at her sister. The oak was thoroughly saturated and both sisters were damp as they faced one another. It was impossible for Temanna to disprove Sophia's misgivings, for at one time she had had her suspicions as well. All she could think to say was, "That's all in the past, Sophia. What does it matter?"

"It is _not_ in the past!" Sophia shook her sister's shoulder in urgency. "Don't you understand? Bess is back and Jareth knows," she paused not able to say anymore.

"But, but Heryah doesn't know," Temanna smiled. "Everything will be alright, you'll see." Temanna's hope was shattered as Sophia's expression changed from pleading to fright.

"She knows."

Now Temanna shared Sophia's concern. They stood side by side, arm in arm, both feeling helpless and both feeling like traitors. In unspoken words they struggled with their choices. Heryah was their flesh and blood, they loved their sister, needed her. And yet, Jareth had been a valuable friend through the centuries, always trusting they would honor their word that Bess would one day return to him.

At night everything seems so dire and the storm was soaking the world around them, letting gloom and despair cloud out any other reason, any other possibilities. Temanna shook her very wet hair out of her face. "We can't do anything right now. Let's wait until morning. I will speak to Heryah, you speak with Jareth." She smiled at her sister. "You'll see. All of this will seem silly in the morning." Then she embraced Sophia, lightly kissing both cheeks before vanishing in a red poof of glitter.

Temanna may choose to believe whatever she wished, but dread had crept into Sophia's heart. No morning sun was going to change her misgivings. Temanna was correct in deciding to visit Jareth. That would be her only hope. Jareth had defied death for his true love, had made a bargain to find her again. Sophia highly doubted that Jareth would allow harm to befall this mortal woman. And yet she feared what would happen if he ever learned her suspicions about Heryah. For now, she would wait, like Temanna suggested. But when the sun rose she would take action.

She vanished, leaving the rain to fall on the lonely forest. All the creatures had scurried for cover after the storm broke. No fireys played, their fires long extinguished. The steady fall of the rain washed out all other sound of the Underground; an eerie silence in the midst of a storm.

* * *

**One more thing. :) This story is finished! But I am a busy girl and will update as often as I can. Thank you to everyone who signed up for the alerts and thank you to all who review. This story is near and dear to my heart so I hope you enjoy it. ~Nylle  
**


	3. Chapter 3

** Here is a new chapter. Again, I do not own Labyrinth, etc. etc. etc. **

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Time passed Sarah one slow minute after the other when Jareth left in standing alone in the park. She couldn't stay there, but she also didn't know where to go. Instead, she found herself walking aimlessly through a busy town square. The day was bright and warm, the people on the streets happy as they went about their way, and then there was Sarah. Everything seemed far away and thought the blue sky was cloudless she felt grey and slightly gloomy. It was like all the sounds were muted, all the colors faded.

When she returned from the Labyrinth she had felt the same way, an outsider who no longer belonged. Now the feeling was back and with a vengeance. Jareth always had a way of brightening the world around him. She hadn't been blind to that at fifteen, but his brilliance overwhelmed her now. His eyes, his bright blue eyes were seared into her memory. What she wouldn't give to see him again.

The thought startled her still. A few people pushed into her, and apologizing she managed to move out of the way of pedestrian traffic, leaning against a storefront. Had she really thought that? Had she really admitted wanting to see the Goblin King again? Her life was spiraling quickly out of control, and in just two short days! She shouldn't be missing a magical being she hadn't seen in years! She shouldn't even be thinking of him at all! But she was. In her mind she relived those kisses over and over again, and now older memories had resurfaced. Memories of dancing together, of him standing too close, teasing, taunting, and pleading. When she remembered those moments, she also remembered how excited Jareth had made her feel, even at fifteen. He was like a forbidden temptation. At fifteen she had been too naïve; resisting Jareth had come naturally, automatically, but now…Ok, so she missed him. Maybe that was why she had listened to Hoggle so often complain about Jareth. She had wanted to be reminded of his presence, even if it was secondhand.

A frown crossed her face. Missing someone wasn't the same as loving…or even liking! Yet, when she was near him, Jareth took her breath away. With one touch she wanted to melt into him. Not to mention those strange emotions that arose whenever he was near, and which were getting stronger. Everything was so confusing. With a deep sigh, Sarah lifted her eyes up to the sky. The buildings of the business sector loomed tall, metallic monoliths towering high. On the highest floor in the tallest building, Derrick Scott sat working, planning a future for them. Sarah suddenly felt immensely guilty. Determination set in and Sarah began walking. Maybe it was time to have a real heart to heart with her affianced.

Derrick Scott was just finishing paperwork when the intercom buzzed telling him Sarah was there to see him. He happily told the secretary to let her in, shuffling papers away and finishing quickly. With a loving smile he welcomed Sarah, but the smile faltered as he saw Sarah's consternation plain on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked ushering her to a chair.

Sarah usually loved Derrick's office, so wide and spacious. A whole side of the office had windows that overlooked the city and the wooden floors added warmth, but today she felt trapped. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach and she tried to take a calming breath. "I need to talk to you."

Derrick's face went white and he blindly grabbed his chair. "Jesus Sarah…that sounds ominous."

She managed a weak smile. "Thing is…I'm not really sure where to start." Pausing for a moment, an idea came to her. "Do you remember the party? You said you met one of my friends, remember?"

Derrick shifted uncomfortably. "I was pretty hammered…wait, I remember. He made me feel like I was playing dress up, and only he truly belonged." His brown eyes focused on Sarah with a new calculation, "And you. You belonged."

Not sure what to say about the last, Sarah ignored it and moved on. "That man was Jareth. I met him when I was around fifteen. He terrified me back then."

"He didn't _hurt _you, did he? Because so help me…"

Sarah just shook her head, "You don't understand, and I'm not telling this right." And then she launched into a retelling of her run through the Labyrinth. There were a few things she omitted, naturally. There was no reason to tell Derrick that Jareth had loved her then, it would just complicate matters. She also felt no need to mention a certain dance. She finished the story, resaying the words, and then she waited.

Derrick had begun this conversation with dread, not sure what Sarah was to say, but now he was speechless. Goblins, kings, dwarves, talking foxes? Did Sarah really expect him to believe this? Maybe it was just stress. Maybe with the upcoming wedding Sarah was having some sort of mental break. She had been acting strangely. "Sarah, maybe you've been under too much stress lately. We can push the wedding back if you need more time."

Sarah laughed, "I knew you wouldn't believe me, but I think I can prove it to you." Without calling Jareth, she silently added. Jareth was too unpredictable. She moved from her chair and opened a tall cabinet. Inside the door was a full length mirror. Sarah had seen Derrick use it before, and now it was perfect. "I hope this works. Last time I used a mirror, Jareth got a little testy." Derrick looked at her confused, but she didn't elaborate. Time moved differently Underground, Sarah knew, but glancing at her watch she figured it to be late night. Please let this work, she silently prayed. "Hoggle. Hoggle, I need you."

The smooth surface of the mirror instantly began to blur and Sarah heard Derrick's muffled "What the hell." The mirror's surface rippled and then cleared, snapping into focus. Standing now instead of her reflection, was the dwarf Hoggle. He was rubbing his eyes, yawning, and Sarah realized he was in his pajamas.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Hoggle." Sarah said sincerely.

"S'alright, Sarah." He yawned again. "This Derrick?"

To say Derrick was surprised was an understatement. "You know me?"

Hoggle shrugged, and returned his attention to Sarah. "I don't know what's going on down here, but Jareth has been acting strange-like. He nearly apologized to me!"

Sarah smiled. "And I see the mirrors are working again." She bit her lip, feeling bashful, "I might have mentioned them to him."

Hoggle's mouth dropped. "You've seen Jareth?"

"It's a long story Hoggle, and it's late there. We can talk longer later, ok?"

But Hoggle made no moves to leave. Instead, he stared hard at Sarah, as if seeing her for the first time. His eyes widened. "Sarah…I don't know why's I never saw it…you look like _her_!"

Something pulled at Sarah. For a moment Derrick's presence was forgotten, and Sarah moved very close to the mirror. "Look like who, Hoggle?" The dwarf hesitated. The story of Bess was famous in the Labyrinth. It was rumored the king had a painting of his long lost love, but few had seen it. Hoggle had though, and the resemblance was uncanny. When he didn't immediately answer, Sarah got agitated. "Who Hoggle! Who?"

He only said a single name, a single name that resonated down to Sarah's very core. _Bess_. Sarah stumbled backward into her chair, closing her eyes. At the mention of that name, something happened. The world around her went dark, the voices calling her name faded into silence. Everything blurred and tumbled around her, causing her to become disoriented and confused. Then, as sudden as it began, it stopped.

Sarah gingerly opened her eyes. The room around her was different, _everything_ was different. Instead of jeans and a blouse, she wore a long cotton dress cinched up tight with lace. Instead of an office, she was in a cozy room. The only sounds outside were those of nature, no zooming cars, no whirling mechanics, no yelling people. Sarah felt calm here, at peace and at home.

It was late, she could tell, but some instinct told her she was waiting for something. On their own accord, her hands pulled her long black hair to the side, and she slowly began braiding it over her shoulder. In the distance she heard the unmistakable sound of horse's hooves and then a whistled tune broke the silence of the night. Sarah recognized that tune! She flew to the window, opening it quietly and peering down. There, below her window was an unmistakable man. Jareth was mounted on a chestnut stallion, dressed in his familiar clothes, a sword on one hip, and a pistol on the other. He looked softer, less wild to her. His hair was pulled back from his face, tied with a bit of ribbon. His face was rounder, less angular, but there was no mistaking Jareth.

He smiled when she opened the window and moved the horse closer. "Bess, you look radiant tonight."

Her heart beat fast in her chest. "Did you bring me something?" Sarah felt like an actress in one of her plays. She knew the script, word for word, but how, she did not know.

"Ah, not tonight, my dear, but soon," he paused and stared deeply at her with those mismatched eyes. "This will be the last, Bess. I promise. After tonight I will have enough, and I can ask for your hand." Joy and happiness overwhelmed Sarah. That was all she wanted in the world, to belong to this man before her, and she couldn't contain her smile. The horse whinnied softly. "I have to go." He stood high in the stirrups, reaching for her, but even if she stretched down, they would not reach. Instead, she let down her hair. It was long enough to reach him, and he lovingly caressed the silky strands against his cheek. There was fire burning in his eyes, burning with a deep emotion as he spoke again. "I'm after a prize tonight, but I'll return Bess. I'll always return to you. Just watch for me by the moonlight."

She blew him a kiss and watched as he turned his horse and rode down the winding road, disappearing into the night. But Sarah knew something that Bess did not, and in a moment of pure panic she tried to scream for him to come back. There was only death down this path, for in the morning the Red Coats would come marching! But she and Bess stayed silent and still at the window. Sarah was trapped now. She remembered what happened, but seemed powerless to stop it. There would be no reunion under the moonlight! Her dream came back to her as she saw the four poster bed, from where she could see the ribbon road _he _would ride. This wasn't real, she tried to tell herself. This couldn't be happening! Sarah closed her eyes and began to scream.

The world blurred again. She felt herself falling, turning, tumbling, and still she screamed. At first, her screams were wordless expressions of fright, but eventually a name formed. Someone was shaking her by the shoulders. _Her_ shoulders, not Bess! And saying her name. Sarah. Sarah. Sarah. Without opening her eyes, she knew who was calling to her. Tears blurred her vision, but she could still make out those bright blue eyes before her. "Jareth!" She cried as she threw herself into his arms.

Jareth was both alarmed and confused. Just moments ago he had been in deep slumber, awoken by a piercing mental cry. Disoriented, but urged by the desperation calling to him, he left the Underground and found himself in a modern, Aboveground office. Much to his surprise, Sarah was screaming words of nonsense, occasionally calling out to him. Her eyes were closed and tears were falling down her cheeks. He had gone to her at once, pushing the other man aside. When Sarah fell into his arms, he held her tightly, struggling to make sense of her ramblings.

"Jareth," she cried onto his shoulder, "it was my fault! It was me." Her arms were wrapped around his neck. "You were coming back, but it was a trap! I had to warn you."

He tried to stand, but she clung to him tightly, so he scooped her up from the chair and cradled her in his arms. Her crying had settled into steady sobbing. "Sleep Sarah," he said softly, weaving a tiny spell with his words.

Sarah began to relax in his arms, but then lifted her head and fixed him with her green eyes. "Don't leave." It was half begged, half ordered.

"I won't." And with his reassurance, Sarah laid her head against his chest and allowed the spell to claim her. The room was silent now that Sarah's screams had died down. Jareth didn't know quite what to do, and then he noticed he had an audience. The man he had pushed aside was standing near, angry and red faced. Hoggle was trying to get a better view from the mirror, and Jareth belatedly realized he had no plan. But his mind worked quickly. With a little rearranging he was able to free a hand and he produced a crystal. The man (Derrick Scott he remembered) took a startled breath. "Take this," Jareth said handing him the crystal, "visualize your home." Derrick wordlessly took the crystal and Jareth spun towards Hoggle. "You know their home?"

"Yes, Majesty."

"Find your way there, Hoggle. I'll let you through." Jareth turned back to Derrick and snatched the crystal, turning it this way and that until he glimpsed an image of a large bedroom. With a toss, the crystal floated up and popped, coating the entire office in glitter, but now absent three people.

* * *

**I think I'm going to try to make these chapters a little smaller.  
**

**Thanks to my reviewers and readers. I really appreciate feedback/questions/ etc.  
**

**Spirit Speaker: I LOVE Loreena McKennitt's version of "The Highwayman". That song was what set this whole story in motion.  
**

**I should have another chapter out Sunday I think. :-)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Highwayman**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

The quiet of Derrick and Sarah's condo was interrupted when three people appeared from thin air. Jareth made a bee line to a large bed and placed Sarah gingerly upon the covers. Even asleep, her hands were clutched together around his neck, so that he had to gently pry them apart. Then he released a breath he hadn't known he was holding and brushed a hand through his hair as he just stared at a sleeping Sarah.

"What the hell is going on?" Derrick was confused, and worried for Sarah, but mostly he was angry at how this man before him, who was only wearing loose pants, looked upon Sarah.

Jareth turned toward Derrick, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You tell me."

"I'm not sure," Derrick shook his head, "and I need a drink." Jareth followed Derrick from the room, heartily agreeing with him about the drink. Derrick poured two tumblers of whiskey and handed one glass out to Jareth, who accepted it with a nod. The air was heavy between the two men as they sipped their whiskey. Derrick spoke again, "I don't know what's going on. Sarah came to tell me about you…about the lab…lab…" he stuttered the word.

"Labyrinth," Jareth supplied.

"Right, Labyrinth. I thought she was just nervous about getting married. Then the mirror goes whacky and this ugly man is talking to her like they're old friends."

Jareth smiled over his glass, "They are old friends. That was Hoggle, and speaking of which…" Simultaneously Hoggle's voice called out from a nearby room. Jareth searched out the mirror without as much as a 'by your leave' from Derrick, who crankily followed him. Jareth found the mirror and Hoggle was waiting impatiently. The dwarf had changed clothes and was holding a shirt and boots in his arms. Only now, seeing the apparel, did Jareth realize he was still in his night clothes. All it took to open the mirror portal was a little magic, and once the mirror rippled, Hoggle came through. He wordlessly handed the items to Jareth, who wordlessly accepted them, shrugging into a shirt and slipping on the boots, before moving back to the larger room.

Hoggle followed the other man back to the kitchen and clambered onto a bar stool, loathing to be below taller men. "Is she going to be alright?"

"I imagine she'll recover just fine. I only put a small sleeping spell on her, to help with the shock." Jareth took a sip of his whiskey, thankful for the warming sensation that followed. "Hoggle, what happened?"

Hoggle hated when Jareth focused those mismatched eyes on him. Though the king was calm now, Hoggle knew how quickly that could change. He fidgeted before answering. "Sarah…she…she looks like Bess. I's told her so."

Ah, so that explained it. Jareth leaned against the counter, suddenly feeling very tired. Sarah had been remembering. Yes, he had wanted her to remember her past life, but he had wanted the memories to be pleasant, not painful. Whatever Sarah remembered had put her into a panic, and only one memory would be that horrific.

"Who's Bess?" Derrick was failing to see the connection, though he was trying.

Neither Hoggle nor Jareth spoke. The dwarf was too afraid to say anymore, and Jareth was lost in thought. All heads turned though, when a female voice answered, "I am."

* * *

Sarah had awoken in a familiar bed, and for a moment wondered how she had slept the whole day away. As she sat up though, everything came rushing back: the park, Jareth, her talk with Derrick, and all of her memories of Bess. Having all of her past emotions was disorienting at first, but soon the old emotions over-rode her. They were like waves, rushing at her, overwhelming her, combining with her new feelings to create larger, more powerful waves, and she then came to realize a new truth. Not only did Jareth love her, but she loved him. She had loved him enough to die for him, had loved him enough to call for him when she was just fifteen, she just hadn't understood then! And now!

Her thoughts raced wildly. She needed to see him, to touch him, to kiss him. Where was he? Panic filled her body and she quickly climbed off the bed. What if he left again? Would she lose him? No, no, she firmly told herself. He said he would wait. From the kitchen, Sarah heard voices talking in low undertones. First Hoggle's hoarse voice, then Derrick's asking a question: "Who's Bess?"

Sarah entered the kitchen unnoticed by the trio before her. She knew the answer to that question, most intimately. "I am," she replied confidently. All eyes turned to her, but all she saw was Jareth's blue eyes. He moved from the counter and took a few steps toward her, eyes searching, looking. Sarah knew now what he was searching for. It had been buried deep inside her, asleep, but not anymore. The love she had for this man could not be denied, and could not be suppressed. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at him.

Seeing the change, Jareth closed the distance between them and caressed Sarah's face, ecstatic when she did the same, moving her hands across his cheeks and through his hair, never breaking eye contact.

Their moment was shattered as a glass was slammed down on the counter. "What the hell? Am I forgotten just like that?" Derrick was shaking, his face beet red from the neck up.

Sarah didn't know what to say. Guilt pulled at her and she stepped away from Jareth. She had loved Derrick, had planned to marry him, but that part of her seemed so far away. "Derrick…I'm sorry…" Her words failed her; she didn't know what to say.

Derrick sneered. "Sorry? You're sorry?" With balled fists, he came at her, not truly intending to harm her, but angry and hurt. He made two steps before an invisible energy knocked him off his feet. He was breathless as he tried to regain his footing, but another impact sent him sprawling again.

"Stay down," Jareth said through clinched teeth, looming over Derrick's prostrate form.

"Jareth, wait. It's ok." Sarah placed a hand on Jareth's shoulder and could feel all his muscles coiled tight. He made no further movement, and Sarah slipped past him, leaning down to the ground next to Derrick. She slid the large diamond ring off her finger and placed it on the floor before standing. There was no way to explain she realized. No way to tell Derrick what she was feeling. Some part of her loved Derrick still, but it was a dull empty love. Nothing at all like the powerful emotions she felt when she thought of Jareth.

Hoggle approached his king, avoiding the man on the floor at all costs. Hoggle knew the power of his king, knew that the man was incredibly lucky Jareth showed restraint. Hoggle also recognized the dangerous glare in his monarch's eye. They needed to leave, and soon, before Jareth decided to take further action against Derrick Scott. "Can we's go home now?"

Home. Underground. Sarah wanted to return so badly. "Can I Jareth?" her voice was choked, heavy with emotion.

With a crooked grin, he embraced Sarah, holding her tight. "You're a fool if you thought you had a choice." A crystal appeared on his fingertips and he tossed it up. When it popped the apartment was mostly empty.

All that remained was a single man staring numbly at an abandoned diamond ring, glitter slowly falling around him blurred by his tears.

* * *

**This is a short chapter, but chapter 5 will be up right behind it.**

**Enjoy  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A few words here: One, this chapter gets a little hot and heavy. And we all know I don't own Labyrinth, just a few characters. So, here is Chapter 5, the official beginning of Jareth and Sarah's romance.**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

The transportation to the Underground left Sarah light-headed and dizzy. Or maybe it was just being so close to Jareth, his arms wrapped around her. As soon as she felt hard stone beneath her feet, Sarah pulled him close into a fevered kiss. There was a moment of surprise, but Jareth began returning the kiss. Jareth's kisses were divine. They transported Sarah to another place; a place where only she and Jareth existed, a place where she belonged with him and only him. Suddenly kisses weren't enough. Her body, no soul, ached with longing to be closer to him.

As she deepened the kiss, her hands moved swiftly under Jareth's loose shirt. The skin underneath was smooth, his heart beating fast. She let her hands roam to his back, his shoulders, and his sides. At one time his body had been so familiar to her, but everything was new to her hands now.

Jareth paused, experiencing a strange déjà vu. For nearly 300 years he had waited for this familiar touch, and it was driving all coherent thought from his mind. He wanted Sarah, _needed_ her, yet he still paused and broke the kiss. She was unfazed. Her kisses moved down his neck and with a quick motion Sarah had his shirt up and over his head. "Sarah, wait," Jareth tried half-heartedly to regain some control of the situation. That was made difficult as Sarah's kisses moved down his chest. A shudder went through him, and somehow he managed to stay in control. "Sarah," he tried again, only this time lifting her chin so he could see her face. He didn't know what he was expecting, but was unprepared for such an open expression. There before him was a face he had loved for so long, eyes of such a dark green that knew no comparison, eyes that he had died to see again. Sarah's pupils were dilated both from the dim light of the room and passion. The green irises were turned nearly black, and Jareth was left speechless. Sarah seemed to understand though, no words needed to be spoken.

She took his hands, and walking backward led them to his bed. It took all his will power not to sweep her up and take her, right then and there, but still he hesitated. Until Sarah placed both hands on his face and looked him deep in the eyes. She only said his name, a breathy whisper of a word, but it broke all his reserve, and he followed Sarah down to the bed.

They moved as one through the night. Relearning, reliving, and remembering an ecstasy from long ago. Jareth made Sarah feel worshiped. Every touch and caress, sent shivers through her body until her very soul seemed to thrum. And when he moved within her the outside world vanished. There was only Jareth, and only Sarah. Together their passion soared, spiraling higher and higher until a wave of release crashed upon them, bringing them back down. Sleep claimed them, both minds and bodies weary but happy.

* * *

Light shining through a window woke Sarah from her sleep. She was neither surprised nor confused by her surroundings. The night before had stayed with her even in her dreams, often times causing her to wake so she could experience them with Jareth. And oh, he never disappointed. Finally, sleep was obtained once exhaustion had claimed them both. Jareth was still asleep beside her; she could see the steady rise and fall of his chest, pale white in the early morning sun. Sarah soaked in the sight of him. Asleep his face was more relaxed, softer, like how her old memories remembered. His blond hair was fanned out around him, a mane of wildness. But his cheek bones were more prominent, his skin was like smooth porcelain, and there was an underlying hum of power that clung to him; these things were different. Jareth had changed.

Sarah frowned slightly. Suddenly a million questions came to mind. Her memories ended on that fateful night when she sacrificed her own life to save his. What happened next? And why didn't he tell her who she was before now? Doubt crawled into her mind. Last night she had been overwhelmed by past emotion, everything had seemed secondary. But now….now she had questions.

A deep sigh made Jareth aware that Sarah was awake. Though incredibly tired, he forced himself to rouse. Funny, sleep was never that important to him before, but right now he felt he could sleep the day away. Performing magic Above was exhausting, but sleep would have to wait. When he opened his eyes, he turned towards Sarah. She was looking down at the sheets, a deep frown upon her face. "Sarah?" He asked quietly, trying to conceal a growing alarm. This was not the morning greeting he had expected.

Sarah met his gaze, searching for something. He was unsure what she was looking for, but he did not avert his eyes. She must have seen something there, for she smiled and brushed a few blond strands from his face. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," he replied instantly, turning on his side to better face her.

"What happened?" She continued to run her fingers through his hair, finding comfort in the motion. With the other hand she gestured to the expansive room around them. "How did you end up here?"

He took a deep breath and propped himself up on an elbow. "That is a very long story." Sarah sat up, bringing the sheet up with her and gave him a determined glare. Jareth sighed, "Wait here a moment." Out of the bed he climbed, grabbing a robe, but not before Sarah had a chance to appreciate the view. Jareth's private wing of the castle incorporated a large suite with many rooms. Walking down the hall from his bedroom brought him into his private sitting rooms. The morning goblin staff, chosen for their above-average intelligence, was already readying the rooms for the day. They worked quietly and respectfully, for serving in the king's private wing was a great honor.

Jareth motioned over a young goblin page, which scurried over, bowing low to his sovereign. "Have the cook ready two breakfast trays this morning, Meek."

The goblin was confused. Surely the king miss-spoke. "Two, your Majesty?"

Jareth fixed the goblin with a steely gaze. "Did I stutter?"

Meek blanched, "No, Majesty. I'll tell cook at once."

"Have it sent to my room."

"Yes, Majesty."

Jareth did not wait for the goblin to leave. He turned back towards his room, ignoring the puzzled faces of the goblins. They would learn soon enough what had transpired, but his first pressing issue was Sarah. On bare feet, he entered his room, silent and unheard. Sarah was no longer in his bed. He saw her standing before the window silhouetted by the rising sun, standing still. She had grabbed his discarded shirt, but her legs were still bare. He made his way to her, smiling softly when she leaned against him, no trace of surprise or shock at his reappearance.

Sarah had never seen the Labyrinth from this vantage point. The maze was utterly breathtaking. Spanning the horizon, Sarah saw familiar paths. The hedge maze to the left was splash of green against brown. Further in the distance she could make out the tall trees from the forest. Even as she watched, the walls moved, changing places, rotating. "It's amazing," she whispered in awe.

"Thank you. It took the better part of a hundred years to create the Labyrinth."

Sarah spun toward him in surprise, "You made the Labyrinth?"

Before he could respond, there was a quick knock on the door, followed by three goblins. Two goblins carried silver trays with steaming food, the other moved towards a small round table which it promptly covered with cloth before setting the table with pewter goblets and silverware for two. Once the table was set, the other goblins set down their trays and pulled out chairs. "Breakfast is served, your Majesty." A tall goblin said with a bow.

Sarah could not believe her eyes. Goblins, in her small experience, were bumbling idiots! She had never seen them perform one task without calamitous results.

Jareth's laugh made her realize she was standing with her mouth open while he had already moved to his seat. "Come eat, Sarah." As she sat, Jareth dismissed the goblin staff, not missing their curious glances towards his morning guest.

Sarah sat and lifted the lid from her tray. It was filled with warm baked breads, various fruits, crisp and cool, and slices of sausages. She picked up a bit of fruit. "Ok, to say I'm confused is an understatement."

Jareth poured them a light pink juice. "Eat, and I'll try to explain." When she nodded, he spoke again. "That night, I raided a passing coach. I knew they were coming. I had been scouting them for a while. All of their gold and jewels were enough to make me a wealthy man, and I had planned on asking your hand in marriage." A shadow crossed his face, "I never knew the Red Coats were marching. As I came down the road, the inn was within sight. All I could see was you. The gunshot surprised me, caught me off guard. Only you knew to expect me that night. I took it as a warning and turned back down the road." He paused, taking a sip from his goblet and pushing food around his tray with a fork.

Sarah quickly swallowed a mouthful of food, her mouth dry. "What happened?"

"The next morning the town was buzzing with news. Bess, the landlord's daughter, had shot herself. Many speculated why, but I _knew_ the reason. A friend told me the Red Coats had laid a trap, that your death was only a way to lure me out. He tried to stop me from riding back, but I didn't listen. I rode back to the inn, back to you, shrieking and cursing to the sky. Losing you had made me mad with grief, with rage." Jareth exhaled a deep breath. "My friend was right. The troops lined the road and shot me down." He hadn't realized his hands had moved to his chest. Though this had happened so long ago, he vividly remembered those moments. The musket shots had knocked him off his saddle. Even wracked with pain, and coughing up blood, he had cursed at the Red Coats, cursed them all to hell. They had dragged him to the side of the road, his blood leaving a red trail on the dirt. He was helpless as a few men searched his pockets, removing everything of value. Then, with a few kicks for good measure, the Red Coats marched away. They left him to die on the side of the road, like an animal, like dog.

These things he could not share with Sarah, for they shamed him. Instead, he resumed the narrative. "I was injured and dying, and all I could think was how I would never see you again."

Sarah had listened to Jareth's story with a heavy heart. She knew that feeling, had experienced the same before she pulled the trigger on that fateful night. "But you're here now," she said reaching for his hand. "We're both here. How did that happen?"

"Magic and serendipitous luck," Jareth replied with a twinkle in his eye, the sadness nearly instantly erased. "You see, Sarah, the Underground has always been here. The creatures that dwell here are magical, and every now and then, their paths cross with the mortal realm. I never knew why, but I caught the attention of the Three Sisters, three very _powerful_ sisters. They halted time for me and proposed a bargain. The gift of immortality would be mine, if I agreed to live Underground. At first I refused. No life at all was better than a life without you." Jareth could still remember Heryah's bewildered expression when he said no. Temanna and Sophia had exchanged a knowing glance. It was Sophia, the gentle sister in blue, which finally convinced him. "_We cannot bring her back, in this time_," she had said to him, "_but if this woman truly belongs with your soul, she will return to you_."

Jareth smiled. "They said one day you would return, and it gave me hope. So," he took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, "I found myself the Goblin King." He laughed aloud. "It's ironic. I was shot for being a thief and then gave eternal life watching over thieving goblins."

Sarah finished a few more bites off her tray, digesting both food and this new information. "Who are the Three Sisters?"

"Ah, the Sisters Three. From what I understand, the Three Sisters are among the oldest living beings in the Underground. Incredibly powerful both alone and together, they form a de facto authority for the various kingdoms of the Underground. They are: Temanna, the Red Sister; Sophia, the Blue Sister; Heryah, the Green Sister."

That last name was familiar to Sarah. "Heryah? I met her at the party. I knew she was from the Underground," she said snapping her fingers.

Jareth frowned slightly. Heryah would be displeased with this situation, he knew. But for now, the food had done wonders to rejuvenate him. For the first time in centuries Jareth felt whole and happy. He flashed Sarah a dazzling smile, "Enough of the past. We will look forward now."

Yes, Sarah thought, yes. Sarah did not know what would happen now, but for the moment she did not care. She was back Underground and with Jareth. Everything else could wait, at least for a day.

* * *

**Okie dokie! This is nowhere near the end, my friends. I'm just getting started! Stay tuned for more intrigue, lies, and romance that will forever alter the Underground. ;-)  
**

**As always, thanks for reading, and lemme know what you're thinking.  
**

**See ya next week!  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to the next Chapter. We are going to start delving into the Three Sisters a little more. Enjoy! And of course I do not own Labyrinth, but the sisters and Derrick are mine...for better or for worse.**

* * *

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 6  
**

Sophia's progress through the Castle in the Center of the Goblin City was seriously hampered by her popularity with the goblin population. The grotesque and often hilarious goblins had been favorites of hers for eons. They were unruly, mischievous, filthy, rude creatures, completely her opposite, and for that reason Sophia adored them. The goblins, for their part, seemed to recognize her favoritism and missed no opportunity to converse with the Sister in Blue. So, Sophia made her way, slowly, into the interior of the castle. Along the way various goblins accompanied her. They showed her their prized possessions, new clothes, anything shiny, rewards from their king, and much to Sophia's interest, gossip about a woman at the castle.

Some goblins giggled and laughed that Heryah, the Green Sister, finally wore the king out. Sophia highly doubted that story, but laughed all the same. Other goblins insisted the woman was familiar, though they could not remember from where. Goblins were simple creatures, Sophia knew, and were apt at forgetting anything that did not involve treasure or food. Regardless, the mystery of this secret woman spread through the castle like wildfire, and where there is fire, someone gets burned.

Sophia forbid her goblin procession from following her into Jareth's private wing of the castle, and left them with a warning, "Keep the rumors of this woman in the castle, do you understand?" The goblins looked at her skeptically, never very good at following orders. Sophia drew herself up to her full height, "You _will_ do this, or I will tell your king!" Now a threat from Sophia was different than a threat from Jareth. All goblins knew punishment for disobeying a Sister was swift and harsh. The mass of goblins fled, swearing their silence.

With a shake of her head, Sophia resumed her walk. It was strange that Hoggle had not made an appearance. Usually the dwarf announced her to Jareth, but Sophia was not inclined to wait. The feeling of foreboding from last night was still strong with her. She must find Jareth…_and…_ she was curious to see this mystery woman. A familiar laugh came from a nearby room and Sophia followed the sound. That was clearly Jareth's laugh, but there was a different quality to it. For all these years there had been a bitter edge to all of Jareth's laughs, like each one was forced. But that last laugh, it had been real and pure. Why, it sounded nearly human.

"It's not funny!" said a woman, and again Jareth laughed. Sophia moved to the door and spied inside, carefully keeping herself hidden from view. A young goblin was clinging to a long drape, shivering with fright. Jareth was removing bits and pieces of gooey globs from his hair, eyes twinkling. Otherwise, he didn't look worse for wear. Now, the woman was a different story. From head to toe she was covered in rotten fruits and vegetables. She looked over her clothes with disbelief, not sure where to even begin, she tried to brush off some of the muck, but gave up when a juice from a fruit dripped into her face. With a sigh, she resignedly stood still.

"I should have warned you to duck," Jareth said apologetically. "It's a morning prank of theirs." He turned toward the cowering goblin. "Come here, Ooben." Ooben was a pig-like goblin, with small, squinty eyes, and a snout for a nose. An oversized tongue reflexively licked out over his face. He waddled over, watching Jareth carefully. "Look what you have done to the Lady Sarah," Jareth said, hands on hips.

Ooben snorted and his tongue slurped out. "Wasn't aimin' for the lady," Sophia noted a complete lack of remorse in the goblin's voice, "was aimin' for the king. Gotcha too, your Majesty." The little goblin pointed to the bits of fruit in his king's hair, squinty eyes sparkling.

With a crooked grin, Jareth shook his head. "Indeed you did." With a flick of his wrist, Jareth produced a small metal button shaped like an apple and handed it was a flourish to the excited goblin.

Sophia restrained a laugh as the woman before her dropped her mouth open. "You reward them for this!"

Jareth smiled and waved a hand over the woman, magically removing all evidence of the morning prank. "Forever is a very long time. This helps pass the time." He turned back to Ooben. "Now get out of here, you little cretin, and I better not catch you bragging."

Ooben ran from the room, clutching his prize, but he stopped as he caught sight of Sophia in the doorway. "Blue Sister!" he shouted as a greeting before running down the hall, more afraid of Jareth than he was glad to see the Sister.

Her presence known, Sophia fully entered the room. "Good morning, Jareth."

Jareth gave a bow. It was not uncommon for Sophia to visit, and Jareth greeted her whole-heartedly. "Good morning, Sophia. May I introduce you to Sarah?"

Sarah smiled, "Hi." There was something about Underground women that seriously damaged Sarah's self-esteem. Never had she felt so frumpy in jeans and a t-shirt as she did now sharing a room with the Blue Sister. Her layers of satin and silk evoked images of the sea, her wavy hair like the ebb and flow of the tide. Sarah just couldn't stand in their league!

"A pleasure," Sophia said genuinely, and then she paused. "Jareth, may I have a word with you? In private?"

All the mirth vanished from Jareth's face as he examined Sophia's serious manner. "Of course. Sarah, excuse us."

"Sure," Sarah replied in a quiet voice. As Jareth and Sophia moved into the hallway, Jareth closed the door behind him, and Sarah was struck by an uncomfortable thought. What in the world was she doing here! A large painting of the Labyrinth caught her attention and she approached it, studying the twists and turns of the maze. Her mind felt like that painting: twisting, turning, shifting, back tracking. Her past memories, once she accepted them, had settled with all her other memories in this life. It was impossible not to love Jareth, not with Bess and her emotions bound together, but Jareth was very different now, and that difference concerned her.

Sarah frowned as she heard Jareth's voice rise in anger from outside the room. The door slammed open, causing her to jump slightly. She knew something was wrong by the look on Jareth's face and the clinching of his fists. He said nothing as he approached her, pulling her into a kiss that spoke volumes. Passion, determination, fear, Sarah could feel all those emotions as Jareth kissed her. His fingers were digging into her forearms, almost like he was afraid to let her go. Finally, she couldn't take anymore. Jareth's emotions were too overpowering, and if she didn't breathe soon she was going to faint. Sarah broke the kiss, but not the embrace, lightly resting her hands on Jareth's shoulders. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Jareth's odd eyes met and held her own, his hands tightening even more. "I'll not lose you again."

The hair on Sarah's neck stood on end. Jareth had sounded so inhuman, a low growl had emanated from his chest as he spoke. She forced herself not to flinch away, but suddenly she was afraid. This man before her was not like Jareth from her past, this man was the Goblin King. Yet, as he moved to hold her close, she couldn't move away. There was something intoxicating about Jareth.

Downstairs there was a large clatter and then a crash, followed by the uproarious laughter of many goblins. Jareth sighed and released Sarah. "Damn those goblins." The seriousness in Jareth's eyes was gone, replaced instead by exasperation. "I need to see what they're getting into." Another crash echoed through the walls, larger this time, and accompanied by a slight shaking of the walls and floors. Jareth paused, tapping his lips with a forefinger. "That sounded like they collapsed the North Stairway…again." With a gloved hand outstretched to Sarah, he smiled and invited, "Shall we?"

Sarah accepted without hesitation. Though her mind still whirled, she pushed aside her troubled thoughts and together set off with Jareth to investigate.

* * *

Temanna set off early to find Heryah. All three sisters were wild, magical creatures. They kept no abode; the entire Underground was their home. They slept where they wanted, never staying in one place for long. Heryah had a favorite place though, and it was here Temanna searched first. The meadow was wide and open, sheltered on one side by a thick forest, only to drop off to a sudden cliff that overlooked miles of green rolling hills colored with patches of wildflowers. The wide expanse of meadows of green calmed Heryah, who was notoriously claustrophobic. The morning sun was clearing the horizon, pink and yellow fingers of light reached up to the cerulean sky. Underground mornings were amazing and Temanna paused to appreciate the sight.

It was nearly impossible to hold last night's fears when the morning ray's blanketed the world. Temanna did not have Sophia's ability to reflect; she was right when she accused Temanna of narrow mindedness. Immortality has a way of numbing all experiences, for eventually nothing will ever be new. Temanna searched the meadow for her sister, trying to formulate a speech, but failing miserably. Eventually, a splash of blond curls gave Heryah away. Temanna might have missed her sister had it not been for that blond. Heryah wore layers of muted greens, mosses and browns, oddly concealed for Heryah. Lying down upon the meadow floor, Heryah blended right in, except for that hair.

Without turning her head, Heryah called out a greeting. "Good morning, Temanna."

Temanna made her way to her sister, propping herself against a boulder. "Good morning."

"Did you enjoy the storm last night?" Heryah asked sarcastically.

Temanna left the question unanswered. Like Heryah's fear of small spaces, everyone knew Temanna had little love for storms. They sat in silence. Temanna was loath to bring up the topic of Sarah with her volatile sister.

However, Heryah was never patient. "What do you want, Temanna?" Heryah remained looking up towards the sky and for this Temanna was grateful. Heryah's bright, green eyes could cut you to the quick with a single glare.

"I hear we may have a guest soon at Jareth's castle," Heryah gave no indication she heard, but Temanna recognized the sudden stillness of her sister's body as a sign of deep concentration.

"Oh, Temanna, don't be so dramatic." Heryah replied as she sat up. "It makes no difference to me if Jareth takes a lover."

The reply was too flippant and Temanna frowned. Heryah had spent centuries trying to get into Jareth's bed. Her indifference sent up warning flags, so Temanna pushed a little more. "I am not so sure this is so casual, sister dear. I hear Bess has returned."

Heryah's green eyes darkened and for one split second her face contorted into absolute hatred. Had Temanna blinked she would have missed the transformation. Heryah recovered herself quickly and placed a mask of indifference over the hate. "Bess is dead."

There was something in the way Heryah spoke that worried Temanna, a coldness, a harshness that stirred up last night's doubts anew. For the first time, Temanna believed her sister capable of murder. Temanna took a deep breath. "I know you've seen her."

Heryah glared, green eyes narrowing. "Do you?" she flipped her hair over shoulder. "All I saw was a shell. That woman," she all but spat out the word, "may look like Jareth's dead love, but they are certainly not one in the same."

"And if they were?"

Heryah waved away the concern. "It doesn't matter."

"Heryah!" Temanna approached her sister in shock. "We made Jareth a promise."

Heryah was on her feet and advancing, "You and Sophia made _that_ promise." She sneered, "All I wanted was Jareth to rule the goblins. But you and Sophia had to mention _her_."

"He wouldn't have accepted."

"Why wouldn't he?" Heryah was now face to face with Temanna.

"He loves her, Heryah."

"With time, he would forget."

Temanna paused and looked away. Jareth had never forgotten Bess. He had been searching so hard for her that he nearly missed Sarah. And something told her that Jareth would do everything in his power to keep her now that he had found her. Heryah was fooling herself, deliberately blinding herself to the truth, the only truth: Jareth would never love Heryah. Temanna bit her lip. "If she is the one…if this Sarah has Bess' memories, we must uphold our promise."

Heryah crossed her arms over her chest. "You do what you think is best, Temanna, and I will do the same." With another sneer, Heryah vanished in a ball of green glitter.

Temanna lingered in the meadow, her head warring internally. Never before had the Three Sisters warred. Would this Sarah situation lead to such a possibility? Sophia and Temanna had made a promise, this was true, but was such a promise worth a confrontation with Heryah? And then there was Jareth. If the promise was not upheld then there was no telling what the Goblin King would do. It had not escaped Temanna's notice that Jareth was extremely powerful. The only thing she could hope for was Sarah not remembering her past life, but Temanna knew she was powerless over that matter. She disappeared from the meadow, full of foreboding and apprehension for the future.

* * *

**Thank you to all who have reviewed.  
**

**Sarah Rose 29: I try not to leave any loose strings. If something doesn't make sense I'll try to clear it up. :-)  
**

**Lylabeth 1: Thank you for your reviews. I agree with you that the first two chapters were way too big and packed a lot in, but que sera, sera. I hope the smaller chapters work better for you. They work better for me. :-)  
**

**Again, thank you to all who review. If you have questions, lemme know.  
**

**Next time: Can Sarah live happily in the Underground knowing she abandoned her life Above?  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is Chapter 7. Again, I only own my OCs.**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 7 (Reconciliation)  
**

* * *

Jareth was right about the North Stairway, but that wasn't much consolation as he stared at the ruins. The goblins were laughing and climbing over the rubble, the air was heavy with dust and debris, choking Jareth's senses and irritating his eyes. Jareth crouched down and picked up a piece of broken stone, inspecting it before throwing it at a goblin's tin helmet. The rock made contact and a metal clank reverberated through the air. The other goblins laughed again as the goblin sheepishly approached its king, wobbling slightly for the helmet had turned and blocked its view. Jareth rearranged the helmet so the goblin's face was visible. "I thought I made it perfectly clear last time that there was to be no more explosions in the castle."

The goblin looked down at his feet. "I might be 'membering that, your Majesty."

"And yet, my stairway is gone… again." The surrounding goblins began to laugh, but it died out prematurely when Jareth glared at them. Jareth stood, resting his hands on his hips. "I guess there is only one thing to do." The goblins watched him with expectation in their eyes. Jareth was beginning to think that the destruction of the North Stairway was a running joke with his goblins. Well, two could play at that game. "Since the stairway is so displeasing to you, I shall leave it as it is." The goblins frowned, but said nothing. Jareth moved away from the collapsed stairway, stepping over stone and goblin alike, making his way back to Sarah.

Sarah was leaning against a wall, her face one of confusion. "You're just going to leave it like that? Doesn't that mean they won this round?"

Jareth smiled mischievously. "I'm sure they think so." He began leading her down a hall, creating distance between them and the goblins, which were now hooting and hollering as they played among the ruinous stair. "You see, Sarah, the North Stairway leads to the goblin mess hall." Sarah frowned and then she mouthed a silent 'Oh' as she began to understand. "They think they've outsmarted me, now we'll see how long it takes them to figure out what I've done."

Sarah stopped walking, a crazy thought entering her head. "You actually like them, don't you?"

Before Jareth could answer, Hoggle rounded a corner, slightly out of breath. "Could've fooled me!"

Jareth brought a hand up to his chest in mock pain. "Now Hoghead, you wound me. You're always welcome to return to Front Gate duty." Jareth paused as he took in the dwarf's attire. His rags of old torn clothes had been replaced with fine cloth and leather once he had accepted a position within the castle. "Of course, I'd have to keep your clothes."

Hoggle puffed up, "Don't you dare! These are mine!"

Sarah half -expected an outburst from Jareth, and was surprised when he laughed, continuing his walk through the halls.

"You missed Sophia this morning, Hoggle," Jareth mentioned casually.

"The Blue Sister was here?" Hoggle groaned. He loved seeing the Blue Sister, but the late night fiasco with Sarah had worn him out. He looked closely at his longtime friend. She was walking arm and arm with Jareth, smiling and listening intently to them. "You feeling better, Sarah?"

A small blush crept up her neck to her cheeks. "Much better. I guess it was all such a shock." Jareth gave her a small smile, but said nothing, so Sarah spoke again. "Now what are we going to do?"

Jareth glanced at Hoggle, "What _is_ on the morning agenda?"

"The North Stairway needs repairin'," Hoggle said hobbling after the two long-legged humans.

"No," Jareth said lightly, "that is staying as is, for now."

Hoggle paused, "But your Majesty…" then he laughed. "Aye, that'll teach 'em a lesson. What should I tells 'em when they want supper?"

"Tell them, until they repair the stairway, they will eat in the barracks, outside."

Sarah frowned, "I know I've seen more stairs. Can't they just use another?"

Both Hoggle and Jareth gave her incredulous looks. Hoggle busted into laughter and Jareth shook his head. "My dear, you give them too much credit." Jareth interrupted Hoggle's fit of laughter. "What is next, Hoggle?"

Hoggle regained control and cleared his throat, looking down at a piece of parchment. "The brownies and faeries are having another territory war."

"My roses again?"

"Aye, Majesty."

Jareth frowned. He magnificent rose garden always led to trouble between the small brownies and faeries. Both were highly territorial and both prized the roses. The thorny stalks of the bushes offered protection to the ground dwelling brownies, while the faeries survived on the nectar from the roses. Every year there was a battle for the rose bushes, and Jareth was out of ideas. "Suggestions?"

"I's been thinking. Maybe give reds to the brownies and whites to the faeries? Next year they can have different colors?"

Jareth nodded. "That's a possibility. Run it by them."

The rest of the morning and afternoon flew by as Sarah accompanied Jareth and Hoggle on their morning duties. It never occurred to her that Jareth had duties, and never once had Hoggle told her he was Jareth's seneschal. Though, she did vaguely remember when he moved into the castle. The morning errands took them inside and outside, Hoggle kept track of what they needed to do and where they needed to go. Sarah watched as Jareth returned lost goblins from the Labyrinth back to their homes; rebuilt broken fences and collapsed homes; healed injured goblins and livestock, and all the while he laughed with his subjects. Minus the extraordinary magic that Jareth possessed, he was just like any other king. And as the day progressed, Sarah had a realization. Jareth _wasn't_ so different after all. He had changed, that was true, but he had stayed the same as well. His moods were trickier, able to change suddenly and change back as quickly, but he was still quick to laugh.

Sarah thought she understood. She now had all of Bess' memories and emotions, and yet she was still Sarah. There were moments when she knew her decisions differed from what Bess would have done, but that was what made her _Sarah_, and not Bess. Jareth was the same. Sometimes she would see the past Jareth, the one who loved to play games and figure out puzzles, the one who was joyous and passionate. And other times she saw the Goblin King, the one who built an amazing maze, who controlled magic, who was sarcastic and short-tempered. And Sarah loved him, all of him, both as Bess and as herself.

By evening Sarah was convinced she could live happily Underground. All her wishes and dreams revolved here, and she truly loved the Labyrinth. Yet, guilt had begun to tug at her conscience. Above, her friends and family must be frantic. It was incredibly unfair to leave the burden of explaining her sudden disappearance to Derrick, especially with such a crazy story.

After supper, Jareth escorted her to a beautiful balcony veranda which overlooked the castle gardens. A stone wall with ornate carvings bordered the high balcony and Sarah watched as Jareth gracefully sat upon the ledge, one foot dangling down, the other propping up his arm. He was so beautiful sitting there with the setting sun cascaded around him. With a full heart, Sarah followed him, leaning her arms against the wall and peering over. It was now or never, she thought. A deep sigh escaped from her, but did not escape Jareth's notice. He tucked a loose strand of her hair away, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, per se," she took another breath. "I need to go back Above, for just a while," she finished quickly. Jareth's expression had turned from concern to anger to fear and then back to calmness in a blink of an eye, but Sarah saw. When he said nothing, she continued to speak, softly and carefully. "I could stay here forever, Jareth, but I can't just abandon my life Above. I have family and friends. They're probably worried sick." Her green eyes sparkled and she smirked, "You know, I _was_ about to get married."

"Yes, well," Jareth said sliding down the wall and approaching her, "that would have been a travesty."

"Oh yeah?" Sarah backed away from the approaching king, still smiling.

"Oh yes." Jareth was very close to her, a fire burning in his eyes. With a gloved hand he caressed her cheek. "Who would kiss you like I do?" To prove his point, Jareth pulled Sarah into a kiss that nearly drove all coherent thought from her mind. He broke the kiss suddenly and trailed his fingertips down her neck, to her collarbones. The sensation caused Sarah to shiver and Jareth flashed a feral grin. "Who would excite you like I do?"

Sarah had a wicked thought. Two could play at that game. "And I suppose you wouldn't miss me?" She could feel his body respond as she wrapped her arms around his neck. There was a tingling sensation all around her just seconds before her surroundings changed. Instead of the balcony, Sarah found herself back in Jareth's room, his mouth upon hers in a deep kiss. Not many words were spoken afterward; there was just touch and sensation as they embraced one another.

Later, Sarah lay beneath Jareth. Their legs were intertwined, his head rested on her bare chest. She was beginning to doze, and by Jareth's even breathing she assumed he was already asleep. So when he spoke, though his voice was low and deep, it startled her.

"I can't lose you again," he said without looking up.

Sarah ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the silky strands. "I'm not leaving, I promise. But I do need to go back, just for a while, a day at least."

He lifted his head, a deep anguish hiding in his eyes. "I think I would go insane without you."

Sarah believed him. The way he looked at her with such pain in his eyes, she believed every word he said. "And I would be miserable without you." She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him towards her. "I'm not leaving you." She kissed the corner of his mouth. "Never again."

The second round of love making was more intense. Sarah knew Jareth would send her back Above, but she also experienced what it would cost him. There was so much sadness and longing held within every touch, every kiss, like he was trying to memorize every inch of her body. When they finally fell into slumber Sarah was beginning to regret her decision to return Above, though she was still determined to go.

In the black of night Jareth shook her awake. "If you're determined to follow through with this idiocy, then now is the time." The kindness in his eyes betrayed the gruffness in his voice. Still a little drowsy, Sarah quickly dressed and followed Jareth to a large standing mirror. He produced a crystal and handed it to her. "Keep it near," he said as he touched the mirror, meeting Sarah's gaze in the reflection. "One day, Sarah."

She nodded and then smiled, "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it."

"I hardly doubt that," he replied dryly.

The mirror rippled, telling Sarah the passage was open, but still she hesitated. She didn't know why, but she was terrified. What if this was all a dream and if she went forward she would wake to find that all of this had been imagined?

Jareth sensed her hesitation and gently moved her forward with a hand on the small of her back. "Go on. I'll be there tomorrow."

She spun around and kissed him. "You better be." Then she walked through the mirror. After a brief moment of disorientation, Sarah stepped out of the mirror and into her old bedroom at her parents' house, blinded by the bright afternoon sun. Turning back, she watched as Jareth's image blurred and faded until only her own reflection remained. Sadness overwhelmed her, and she tried to shake it off. She was being silly. In just a day she would return back to Jareth and back to the Underground. In just one day. But for now, she needed to seek out her family.

* * *

**Next time: Hoggle and Jareth have a heart to heart and Sarah must face Derrick Scott. Should be out later this week!  
**

**As always, thanks for the reviews. :-)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**And here is the next chapter! It has like one bad word, but whateva. ;)  
**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 8 (_Discussions)_**

* * *

Watching Sarah's image fade away was one of the hardest things Jareth had to endure. Vocalizing how difficult it was to let her go was impossible, but Jareth knew Sarah had a right to return Above. She was not his prisoner, after all. Knowing it was impossible to go back to sleep, Jareth transported to the stables. His loyal stead was there to greet him and after leading him outside the paddock and mounting, Jareth gave the stallion free reign. Together they galloped through the Underground on a midnight ride, trying to out run feelings of loss, sadness, and worry. After riding through the night, eventually Jareth began to tire. He returned the stallion to the stables and made his way slowly, wearily through the castle to his private wing where he fell into a restless slumber.

Morning came too early for the weary king. It only seemed a moment ago he had put his head down to rest, still wearing his riding clothes, too tired to change, and now the sun was rising and someone was knocking at his chamber door. He contemplated sending Hoggle away, for that was the only one who would be calling, but instead he sat up and called for the dwarf to enter. There was something he wanted to ask the little man.

The door opened and Hoggle stumbled through. "Good morning, your Highness, Sarah…" His voice died away as he looked for his friend, but could not find her. He turned angry eyes to his king. "Where's she? Where'd she go? You didn't hurt her did you?"

"Hoggle, you are a tiresome little man," Jareth said with aggravation. "She needed to return Above." Only for Sarah would he allow Hoggle to speak to him in such a way, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "Now hold your tongue." Hoggle quickly snapped his mouth shut, but continued to glare suspiciously at his king. Jareth, for the most part, ignored him. "Is the morning full?"

Hoggle flipped through a few pages of parchment. "No, your Majesty."

"Leave it that way, and come with me." Jareth left his bed chambers, still not bothering to change from his riding clothes of black leather, and entered his sitting rooms. A goblin servant was hurrying towards them, an oversized breakfast tray in hand. Jareth sat at his desk and began eating a small breakfast. "Hoggle, I am going to suggest something to you, and I want you to do your best to be objective."

Hoggle frowned and climbed into a chair. "All's right, I'll do my best," he sounded suspicious and mistrustful.

"How very reassuring," Jareth said as he took a sip of juice, uncharacteristically nervous. "When Sarah returns, I want her to become queen." Jareth waited as Hoggle squirmed in his seat without uttering a sound. "Now," Jareth said lightly, "I had expected some shouting out of you," he teased.

"Well, I's not sure what to think." He scowled at Jareth, "She's too good for you, for one." Jareth just laughed but did not seem to take offense. In fact, Jareth seemed different to Hoggle since Sarah had returned. He was calmer, certainly nicer, dare Hoggle say happier? Then Hoggle had a queer thought, "You, you really love her?"

Jareth sighed and leaned back in his chair. Bearing his soul to Sarah was effortless, but it was a challenge discussing his emotion with the dwarf. "More than you could possibly know," he managed to say, and though he had tried to control his tone, some raw emotion leaked into his voice.

Hoggle harrumphed and folded his arms over his chest, coming to a sudden decision. "Never did like that Derrick creature. Too boring for our Sarah."

A small smile tugged at Jareth's lips. He supposed that was high endorsement from Hoggle.

"Do you have a ring?" The dwarf asked with uncontrolled excitement. Hoggle had never lost his love of jewelry.

"A ring?" Echoed Jareth.

"When's you ask a girl to marry ya, you needs to have a ring," Explained Hoggle in exasperation.

"A ring…" repeated Jareth. He hadn't given the matter much thought. He had just assumed he would ask for Sarah's hand, she would accept, and that was that. He narrowed his eyes at Hoggle. "This is going to become a production, isn't it?"

Hoggle laughed meanly. "Well, you dids interrupt one wedding."

"So I've been told." Jareth lined his fingers together and tapped them against his mouth. "It occurs to me, my fine little dwarf, that there is a difference between a marriage and a wedding."

"Not to the bride, there ain't," Hoggle retorted.

Jareth laughed genuinely at that, silently conceding the point. He gave Hoggle a close look, "Well, since you seem to know so much about this matter, what else is involved?"

Hoggle chose to ignore his monarch's sarcastic tone. Life in the castle was much easier if one learned to tune out Jareth's tone and listen to just the words. "Well, she'd need a dress, but she picks it out. There would have to be music and food and guests. The bride wears white you know." Hoggle continued to ramble on, oblivious to the calculated looks Jareth was sending his way. The dwarf was actually excited about the prospect of a wedding, it would seem. Now, whether that was a general excitement, or just because of Sarah, Jareth had no idea and no intention of finding out. Eventually, Hoggle noticed his monarch's silence and his voice trailed off, unsure of Jareth's mood, but quite sure he didn't like the look in his eyes. "Erm, Majesty?"

Jareth allowed his small smile to spread. "My dear Hoggle," he began sweetly, "I know the wedding will be a success with you planning the affair."

"Me!" Hoggle nearly fell from his chair. "But, but, your Majesty!"

"Yes, _you_," Jareth replied firmly as he stood from the table. "I don't have time to watch these damnable goblins _and_ plan a wedding; that is what a seneschal is for." He circled the table until he was directly in front of Hoggle. "And I know you'll do your best for Sarah, am I understood?"

Hoggle sighed. There was no point in arguing further, all it would accomplish was angering Jareth, and Hoggle could certainly do without that. "Aye, your Majesty," he said with resignation. "But…where's do I even start?"

"Like any other royal affair, I'd imagine," Jareth began to walk away, "Guests, music and food." He left Hoggle to his own devices. The dwarf was very competent when properly motivated. Jareth had first witnessed that when Hoggle helped Sarah through the Labyrinth. He was a cunning dwarf, willing and able to switch sides to benefit his situation and he knew many of the Labyrinth's shortcuts. All in all, Hoggle was wasted dusting faeries at the Front Gate, and was much more useful to Jareth here, at the castle.

Jareth made his way through the corridors of the castle, avoiding the goblins best as he could. When Hoggle had mentioned a ring, he triggered an old memory. Once, long ago, he had planned to marry Bess and he vaguely remembered a ring. Deep in the center of the castle, several staircases down, was the treasure vault. Jareth did not visit the place often though, and even as he entered the room his mood seemed to darken. A single torch flickered against a wall, casting eerie shadows around the circular room. It was surprisingly sparse, more cobwebs and dirt then gold and jewels, but there was one single chest on a raised dial in the center of the room. And on the ground, scattered, were the old, dusty remains of soldier uniforms. Though worn and faded with age, the red dye in the cloth was still visible.

Jareth had never forgotten the men that had robbed him, both of his possessions and of his life, all those centuries ago. After the Sisters revived him and explained his new magical existence, all he could think of was revenge. So one night, when the moon was high in the sky and the wind brushed through the trees, Jareth sought out the Red Coats. They were still camped not far from the inn. Jareth found three lookouts, men whose faces were eternally burned into his mind. They were separated from the main regiment, and had set up a small camp off the main path. The men were dirty and crude, counting all of the stolen property they had confiscated from Jareth. His prized rapier and pistol hung from one man's belt, his horse was tied along with two other nags, and Jareth was angry.

The wood began to fill with fog, the horses whinnied, more aware of the new stranger in their midst. All of the sounds of the night faded away, and the three men looked around in unconcealed worry. Jareth moved toward them, silent and smooth, the fog parting around him in wisps and twirls of white mist. When the soldiers saw him emerging, they saw a ghost and quickly made the sign of the cross. They cried out for mercy as Jareth descended upon them; they cried out for God, but Jareth was not merciful and God have never answered _his_ prayers.

Their screams echoed through the night as Jareth used his new found abilities to torture the soldiers. And when they cried out for mercy, he did not stop; he only asked if they had given Bess any mercy. Two of them died that night; their blood stained the soft dirt of the camp, soaking into the damp ground. The last man, however; had lost his mind. He stood shivering, cuts and bruises covered his body, his hair was messy and his eyes were open so wide they appeared white. Jareth recognized this man. This had been the one to kick him when he was already down, and death was too good, too easy, for him. Jareth had sought out a fitting punishment, and thus his first dream crystal was created. He had tossed the crystal, willing a thousand nightmares to plague the man. As soon as the crystal burst upon his head, the man fell to his knees screaming, tears falling from his eyes in large rivers.

Jareth turned his back on the man, and all the others. He retrieved his sword and pistol, and all his treasures, and he mounted his stallion, his beautiful chestnut, before vanishing from Above.

Now, the cloaks were nothing but relics gathering dust, and Jareth's mortal life nothing more than a forgotten ghost story. Still, he had not felt guilty then, and he felt even less remorseful 300 years later. With a boot he kicked a uniform for good measure and approached the chest. It had been centuries since he last gazed upon its contents, but somewhere deep within, he knew there was a ring, a precious ring, which was soon to belong to Sarah.

* * *

"Calm down, calm down! Let me explain!" Sarah was trying in vain to reassure her father and stepmother that everything was fine.

Her father, Robert, slammed his hand down on the dining table, refusing to sit. His brown hair, peppered with grey, was uncombed; his eyes were lined with worry. "Calm down? You've been missing for two days! Two days without a word! Did you know they've got Derrick in jail right now for questioning?"

Sarah winced and moved to sit at the table. "Damn," she briefly put her head in her hands. "Look, I screwed up. I…it's really hard to explain."

"Why don't you try us," her stepmother, Karen, said coldly, arms crossed over her chest.

"Ugh, where to start?" A true headache was forming in Sarah's left temple and she rubbed it absentmindedly. "Well, for starters, this has very little to do with Derrick Scott. I'll go to the precinct and fix that. This really has everything to do with me and my future happiness."

"Happiness?" Robert repeated in confusion. He pulled out a chair, slightly calming now that the shock had worn off. "I thought you were happy."

"So did I, Dad, but then someone from my past showed up and reminded me of who I am and why I couldn't settle for Derrick Scott."

Karen frowned, "So you ran away with him, didn't you?" Sarah bit her lip and nodded, causing her father to sigh and her stepmother to scowl in disgust. "He doesn't sound very chivalrous."

Jareth? Chivalrous? Generally, no, that was true, but charging to his death to avenge hers had to count for something. "He has his moments," Sarah replied with a slight smile.

"This wasn't one of them," Robert said sternly. "Couldn't you have called, Sarah? We have been worried sick. And for what? For you to act like some harlot?"

"That's a little unfair," Sarah said defensively. "And I'm sorry about not calling, really I am. It was a little impossible at the time, but I'm here now."

Her stepmother leaned against the table, narrowing her brown eyes. "Why do I feel like you're not telling us the whole story?"

Sarah laughed, "Because I'm not. And I wouldn't know where to start."

"The beginning?" Her father offered and again Sarah laughed.

"You might as well have a seat, Karen," Sarah told her stepmother, "this is going to take a while." And so Sarah launched into another retelling of the Labyrinth. With Derrick, she had omitted the crystal ball, with her parents she omitted wishing away Toby, figuring everyone could do without opening that can of worms. She did include some information about her past life as Bess, however. When she finished, she waited and watched as her parents assimilated the information.

Karen was the first to recover. "This is crap, Sarah. Robert, tell her she is being ridiculous."

Sarah held her breath. Though maturity and distance had eased the tension between her and her stepmother, they still never saw eye to eye. However, her father had tried in recent years to give her the benefit of the doubt and she hoped he would do so now.

Robert sighed again and rubbed his face with the back of his hand. "Bess, huh?" he muttered to himself and Sarah nodded. "You're mother fought like hell to name you Bess when you were born. I told her the name was too old fashioned. We settled on Sarah Elizabeth because Bess is short of Elizabeth." He seemed to be talking more to himself than to either woman.

"That's also ridiculous," Karen said hotly.

"Maybe," Robert replied with a shrug. "Sarah, I've never known you to outright lie about something, especially something this important, so I'll believe you…for now." His voice hardened, "But we're going to need some proof at one point."

Sarah made a quick dash to her father and hugged him. "Tomorrow Jareth is coming to take me back Underground. You'll meet him then, ok?"

"Fine," Robert replied patting Sarah's arm. "But now you need to deal with Derrick Scott."

* * *

Derrick Scott knew he cut an ironic image sitting in a jail cell, his coat turned inside out as he sat upon a cold, steel bench. His dress shirt was strewn on the bench, his Gucci loafers were minus shoestrings, and he was slightly unshaven. When Sarah's parents realized she was missing, suspicion naturally fell on him. And what was he supposed to tell them? The truth hardly seemed plausible to him and he witnessed magic first-hand. All he could do was stress his innocence, which was not very convincing considering Sarah was still missing in action.

So, the sheriff had him detained while they investigated the disappearance. Well, good luck to them, he thought bitterly. Unless the sheriff mysteriously achieves magical powers, Sarah was going to remain missing, and he was going to remain a suspect. At least he had the cell to himself. The sheriff was actually an old friend of his, and had apologized profusely when bringing him in. Oh well, he wasn't really to blame, now was he?

The outer cell door clanked and clicked and then opened. Derrick looked up bored, expecting some deputy to come in and continue questioning. When he saw Sarah's slender form round the corner his eyebrows rose and he whistled, "Well, I'll be damned. Look who's not disappeared anymore." Sarah leaned against the cell door resting an arm on a crossbar. She made like she was going to speak, but Derrick sneered, "If the only words coming out of your mouth are 'I'm sorry' then save your breath."

"What do you want me to say?" She asked tiredly.

Derrick stood, noticing his designer suit was wrinkled and crumpled. "Who knows?" He inspected her a little closer. "Life not going well in Fairyland? I wasn't expecting to see you…well, ever again."

A sigh escaped from Sarah and she tilted her head against the cool bars. "I've screwed up royally, Derrick, I know. I'm already working on getting you out of here."

They stared at each other, more than iron bars separating them. Derrick gripped the bars, "What happened, Sarah? I thought we had something good."

"We did, but Derrick, it never would have lasted. I know that now. I was always searching for something, someone else."

Derrick snorted. "How does that sound to you, Sarah, because to me it sounds like justification for _screwing me over!_" His voice had slowly risen until he was shouting by the end.

Sarah slammed her hands against the bars, the sound echoing through the room. "I know! I fucked up, ok! I know nothing can make it up to you. This is it, ok, Derrick? We'll never see each other after this." She didn't wait for any response before she turned and hurriedly left the room.

Derrick clinched his jaw as he watched Sarah walk away from him again. He had hoped seeing her once more and saying what was on his mind would help alleviate the hurt he was experiencing, but he was wrong. He only experienced longing as she left, and then he realized a sad truth. Even though Sarah had chosen another, Derrick still loved her and still wanted her. With a heavy heart he returned to his bench, elbows resting on knees, and head in hands he waited for his release.

* * *

**Okie dokie. We're moving into the meat of the story now. We are going to have a wedding! And don't for a moment think Heryah will be overly pleased. Muwahaha!  
**

**Next time: Robert and Karen meet Jareth (which is hilarious I might add). And wedding plans!  
**

**See ya later!  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Here is chapter 9. The rating for this chapter is M.**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 9 (_Proposals)_**

* * *

What a royal mess. Seven hours later Sarah flopped face down on her old bed. Getting Derrick out of jail was harder than she expected. Hour after hour she had maintained that Derrick had nothing to do with her disappearance. No, she wasn't being intimidated by Derrick not to press charges. No, Derrick had never abused her, yelled at her, or hit her. When pressed for her whereabouts Sarah replied and continued to repeat that she left town on her own volition. Finally, the sheriff ran out of questions and decided to close the case. Derrick would be free to go and Sarah went home.

Now it was time to sleep. She kicked off her shoes, stripped down to her intimates and then crawled into bed, praying sleep would come soon. Strange, after only two days she missed Jareth's presence beside her. She missed the feeling of a body next to hers acutely and grabbed a pillow, holding it tight to her chest. Tomorrow she was going back to her real home, back to the Underground and back to Jareth. Tomorrow was the beginning of her "Happily Ever After".

* * *

Time to go home, Sarah thought as she brushed her hair. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was nearly ten in the morning. Jareth would be here soon. At the mere thought of him her heart sped up and her face went red. She felt like a silly school girl waiting to see her crush. Downstairs, Robert and Karen waited in the foyer, holding hands and trying not to look overly concerned. In just a few minutes they were either going to meet a magical man, or find out that Sarah was stark raving mad. Either way, with trepidation they waited as the minutes ticked by. Sarah joined them as the grandfather clock chimed the hour. "Here we go," she whispered. Nothing happened immediately, but Sarah was not alarmed. There was a change in the air, a heaviness, which she was quickly beginning to associate with transportation between the two worlds.

Karen fidgeted uncomfortably after a few more moments passed. "Not very punctual, is he?"

Before Sarah could answer, a deep, low laugh filled the foyer, accompanied by shimmering air and the faint outline of a man. The image came into focus and suddenly Jareth was standing before them. Sarah was relieved Jareth decided against full Goblin King Regalia, though he still looked otherworldly in his casual blue poet's shirt and grey leggings.

Jareth caught Sarah's gaze and held it, even as he bowed to her parents, "One tends to ignore time more often than not in the Underground," he said by way of apologizing. Only a single day without Sarah had seemed like torture and Jareth was eagerly drinking in the sight of her, content to ignore the other humans in the room.

Sarah smiled, a little breathless. Concentrating was difficult when Jareth was staring at her that way. His mismatched blue eyes were unblinking, unmoving as he watched her. "Hi," she said stupidly, unable to form more complicated thought.

"Hello," Jareth replied in his smooth accent. His eyes darted to Robert and Karen, both wide-eyed and open mouthed.

The unasked question prompted Sarah from her stupor. "Dad, Karen, this is Jareth, the Goblin King. Jareth, this is my father, Robert, and my stepmother, Karen."

Jareth bowed to them again and when the two still remained silent he arched an eyebrow, "Loquacious, aren't they?"

Sarah made the few steps to Jareth and lightly smacked his arm. "They're just in shock, so stop teasing. Besides, you'll like them less when they start talking."

Jareth took the reproof with humor and caressed Sarah's cheek with a gloved hand. "I seem to remember another occupant in this household." He looked around curiously, "Where is your brother, Toby?"

The mention of Toby caught Karen by surprise, but she finally found her voice. "Toby? How do you know Toby?"

Jareth noticed Sarah's worried expression and shared a conspiratorial smile. "I saw him once when he was a child. Sarah was being a very diligent caretaker," he said. And how he managed not to laugh at such a tale, Sarah had no idea.

Robert shook his head. "So, all of _this_," he said gesturing toward Jareth, "all of this is true?"

Jareth shrugged a shoulder, "As true as truth gets."

Robert frowned and glowered at the strange man in his home. "I can't say I agree with what you've done here. You have turned our world upside down, and for what? Couldn't you have handled things a little more properly?"

"Dad!" Sarah said aghast, but Jareth just smiled.

"My good sir, you are mistaken on one small account. I did not turn your world upside down; Sarah turned the world upside down on me." Jareth began to get angry, unaccustomed to being challenged, and as usual the environment reacted to his volatile temper. Lights began to flicker and recede into darkness, the warmth gave way to chill and Jareth crossed his arms. "Make no mistake; I am _tolerating_ you, for Sarah's sake. Nothing you could say or do would keep me from her now."

By the end of his speech, Robert was holding Karen tight. The woman was scared witless, but Robert was oddly reassured. He had noticed that Sarah was unalarmed through the entire ordeal, in fact, her eyes never left Jareth's imposing figure. And in her eyes there was no trace of fear or concern, only love. And Robert could see the same look in Jareth's eyes, if one could get past the flare of anger. Robert inhaled deeply. "You really love her, don't you?"

The question seemed to erase Jareth's ire, and the room returned to normal. He met Robert's steady gaze and answered honestly. "With all my soul."

Sarah ran to embrace Jareth, who gladly gathered her in his arms. No trial was too much to undertake for Sarah, and meeting her parents was the least of his concerns, but he was finished. All he wanted was Sarah, in his room, and preferably with less clothing on. "Sarah," he prompted.

She flashed him a brilliant smile. "Before we go, I have a favor to ask." He looked amused, but when he didn't object, she continued. "Can we still contact one another? I know you kept the mirrors open for me and Hoggle."

Jareth paused a moment before answering. He wasn't completely opposed to the idea and finally nodded his consent. After a brief tutorial, Robert grasped the mechanism of the mirrors and Jareth claimed Sarah's hand. "It's time."

She nodded and hugged both parents, kissing Robert on the cheek. "If you don't hear from me from time to time, don't worry. Time is an odd thing Underground."

"Be careful, Sarah." Her father said softly. "I love you, you are my only daughter."

"I will," she replied solemnly. "And I love you too." Karen tried to say something, anything, but all the words died upon her lips. Sarah just smiled, "Take good care of Dad and Toby, Karen."

"I will. And take care of yourself, Sarah."

Sarah turned to Jareth, who was rolling a perfect crystal back and forth with a single hand. Sarah had always admired the effect. "Let's go."

Jareth snatched the crystal from midair and bowed once again to Sarah's parents. "Adieu," he said with a flourish as he released the crystal. There was a soft pop followed by a curtain of glitter, but when the glitter cleared only Robert and Karen stood in the house.

* * *

Transportation for Sarah was always a little uncomfortable, but the sensation passed quickly. Jareth had taken them straight to his room and Sarah felt her mouth drop open. The entire room was filled with soft candlelight. Candles were generously spread on the floor, on the window sills, on sconces; everywhere she looked there were candles of different sizes and shapes illuminating the room. The normal oversized bed was gone and in its place was a bundle of animal furs. Sarah looked up and saw the ceiling was enchanted. Instead of stone she saw a billion night stars twinkling. The beauty took her breath away. "Jareth, this is amazing." Before her eyes the room continued to change. The walls gave away to a small clearing circled by trees. The stone floors became soft green grass, boulders sprouted up from the ground, crickets began to chirp, an owl hooted from upon a tall pine and Sarah had a strange case of déjà vu. She _knew_ this place. This was _their_ place.

Jareth was leaning against a boulder as he watched Sarah's expression. At first, her green eyes just admired the scenery, but suddenly they snapped over to him, and Sarah followed, walking slowly. "Have you brought me something?" She asked as she looked into his eyes.

"I have," he replied, but the rest of the words faded from his mind as Sarah reached up to kiss him. She moved her hands under his shirt with quiet urgency, enjoying the feel of cool, smooth skin. He pulled her closer, the entire length of their bodies touching, and he trailed kisses down her neck and back to her mouth. Their clothes became confining and Sarah pulled her shirt up and over her head, helping Jareth do the same. Again they embraced, and without seeing, Sarah pulled Jareth's gloves off as she kicked off her shoes. Fire was burning inside them, fire that could only be extinguished by touch. It was a fire born of desire, and of love. Soon, the kissing and soft touches weren't enough, weren't nearly enough.

Jareth backed them up to the layers of blankets and lightly pushed Sarah down, holding her waist tight to control the fall. As her back hit the furs, it occurred to her that she was completely naked now, and as Jareth leaned into her, she realized the same could be said of him. Magic truly had many perks. Jareth's kisses grew more intense, his hands roamed freely over her body and Sarah found all her attention and energy focused on this marvelous creature before her. She let hands move over his shoulders down his chest, further, further down. Jareth shuddered against her and kissed her hungrily, using a knee to move closer to her. Sarah's breathing was rapid, her pupils were dilated. She was waiting for a moment of pure bliss, but Jareth paused, leaning over her, eyes locked on hers in a strange intensity. He made a gesture with his hand and suddenly a ring was gently held in his fingers. He extended the ring to her all the while maintaining eye contact. "Marry me."

Sarah's heart swelled with so many emotions. She was speechless, breathless, excited and she finally managed to nod frantically as she took the offered ring. Jareth slipped inside her as she slipped the ring on her finger and it was impossible to say which caused her more pleasure. Then he started to move within her and all other thought stopped. Together they danced the dance of lovers under an enchanted sky, surrounded by memories, surrounded by one another. If ever a moment could be perfect, this was it. Neither cared nor worried about the outside world, for nothing could harm them while they were together, and nothing was going to come between them ever again.

* * *

**Hang on to your hats readers! Cuz the real ride is about to begin.  
**

**Next time: Planning and scheming. ;-)**

**Thank you readers and reviewers. See ya later.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here is the next chapter. Remember, I don't own Labyrinth, but I do own a few OCs here and there, including the Three Sisters. **

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 10 (_Plannings_)**

* * *

Heryah, Temanna, and Sophia sat having tea on a rock overhanging above a raging sea. The sky was grey; the sun a tiny disk of white trying to burn off the morning overcast. Tide was coming in. The waves crashed upon the rocky shoreline twenty feet below, and occasionally the spray jettisoned through the air, misting the rocks with cold water. A little magic provided a bubble of protection; the spray cascaded around them, but did not penetrate the bubble, and the Three Sisters sat in quiet company. All three wore muted colors. Heryah wore a flowing gown of sea mist green, her usually wavy hair lie straight along her back like a golden waterfall. Sophia's robes were grey blue, her brown hair braided over a shoulder. Temanna wore a loose toga of rusted red, her curly red hair twisted in a bun upon her head.

The sisters were at odds with each other, but all held their peace and made small talk as they sipped their tea.

"Lorian requested a visit," Temanna began quietly.

"And how is the Elfish princeling?" Heryah examined her fingernails as she feigned interest.

"He wants to ask permission to increase trade with the Eastern Kingdom."

Heryah snorted, "He _wants_ to petition for Goran's fields again."

Sophia smiled, "That is probably his true intention. Foolish elf, he knows the dwarves will never allow it."

The other two sisters shrugged. The idle chat continued for several minutes until, floating in on an invisible breeze, three crystals came into view. As the crystals neared, the sisters held out their hands. No one needed to ask who had sent the crystals; only one man used them Underground. Once the crystal touched their palms, they transformed into parchment. Truly intrigued, Temanna cleared her thought and read aloud.

"'To Temanna, the Crimson Sister,

It is with great pleasure to announce the upcoming nuptials of Jareth, Goblin King and Ruler of the Labyrinth, to Lady Sarah Elizabeth Williams of Above. The ceremony will commence three days hence. We await your reply,' signed by Hoggle."

Temanna and Sophia said nothing, but cautiously watched their sister, who reread her invitation. A few moments passed and Temanna began to get anxious. A silent Heryah was a deadly Heryah. Finally, Heryah smirked. "Well, I suppose I should find a fitting gift." A feathered quill appeared in her hand and she signed the parchment with a flourish. The parchment rolled itself up and popped out of sight.

Sophia released a breath and smiled as she also signed her invitation. Even though the parchment disappeared, she stood and her tea vanished. "I will go give my answer in person, I think."

Temanna nodded, and her parchment also disappeared after signing. "Give my regards and congratulations to Jareth." she said as she vanished her tea. "But excuse me sisters, there is something I need to attend to," and then she herself vanished in a ball of red light.

Sophia stood from her stone chair, "And you, Heryah?"

"Yes, I'll be there," Heryah smiled sweetly. Sophia nodded and disappeared into a small blue ball of light. Heryah waited a few minutes after their departure before smashing her tea cup against the ground. Her face turned down into a frown, eyes narrowing maliciously. "Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the entire world."

* * *

Jareth shook his head in disgust as Sarah smothered a laugh. Before them was the newly goblin repaired Northern Stairway, and it was an utter disaster. The goblins had piled the broken stones into a semblance of a stair, but it was hardly sturdy and it was nowhere near being aesthetically pleasing. A steady line of goblins clamored up and over the makeshift stair. One slipped on a loose stone and tumbled down the pile, hollering and kicking up dust as it fell.

Sarah laughed and rested an arm on Jareth's shoulder. "Well, they _did_ fix it, after a fashion."

Jareth gave her a sidelong glance and sighed. "This is what happens when you aren't oddly specific in commands." Another goblin slid down the rocks. It bumped into Jareth's legs, running off laughing before Jareth could react. "Damn," he said under his breath as he formed a crystal.

Sarah leaned into him. "They got you this round, didn't they?"

"If it weren't for the visitors coming I'd leave the bloody thing," Jareth said mildly irritated. It wasn't that he had to fix the stairway, for with a flick of the wrist the crystal popped and the stones began to repair themselves. No, it was as Sarah said. He had been outsmarted by the goblins, and though that was a rare occurrence, it stuck uncomfortably in his throat. Sarah grinned at him and he arched an eyebrow. "You may not find them so amusing once you try to rule them."

She kissed the corner of his mouth. "I had planned on helping them outsmart you."

"Wonderful," Jareth replied dryly, causing her to laugh again.

The wedding ceremony was to take place in three short days. In a world of magic, planning and executing a royal affair took less time than Above, but that still put Jareth and his competent goblins, and Hoggle, in a rush. Most of the goblins hadn't a clue what was going on, but they knew everyone was busy and excited and they fed off one another until they were running around in a crazed stupor.

Jareth and Sarah were making afternoon rounds together, inspecting decorations, modifying rooms for guests, and checking up on all sorts of activity. In all accuracy, Jareth was making the alterations, but Sarah freely gave her input.

"Are there really going to be elves and dwarves?" Sarah asked as they walked down one of the castles longer corridors.

Jareth nodded. "And centaurs, and minotaur, and all fashion of creatures I'm sure you'll love." A goblin ran up to Jareth with a stack of papers and Jareth signed them one after another as he gazed over them. He paused on one parchment. "The Sisters are coming," he said absentmindedly. The goblin giggled and jumped up and down excitedly, scattering the papers upon the floor. Jareth rolled his eyes and Sarah laughed as the goblin scurried to gather up the papers, hopefully before he got a kick.

At the same moment, Hoggle rounded a corner, his face red with exertion. He was obviously frazzled. Hoggle found it cruel of Jareth to make him plan a royal affair and his nerves were shot. "Your Majesties!"

Sarah turned to greet her old friend. "Hiya, Hoggle! How are things coming?"

Hoggle frowned. "I'm being asked to do the impossible!"

"Stop complaining, Hoghead. I've given you crystals to use," Jareth said, short of temper. Another goblin was approaching with more documents to sign and he sighed. "Sarah, can you manage this?" he asked gesturing toward Hoggle.

"Yep."

"Good, I'll see you this evening." He stroked her cheek and turned away, shouting at the stubby legged goblins to follow.

Sarah watched as Jareth led the goblins away, slightly shaking her head. She stretched her back and placed her hands on her hips, suddenly aware that many days would pass this way. She and Jareth would be busy with duties, only seeing each other briefly throughout the day. It was worth it though, after all, his nights still belonged to her. Hoggle was finishing a rant. Sarah didn't catch much, but something about 'an overgrown goblin' made her laugh.

Hoggle glared at his longtime friend and soon to be queen. Truth be told, he loved seeing Sarah so happy and so in love. Anyone could look at her and notice the happiness around her. Even Jareth, in his mercurial way, was happier. He hadn't even kicked one goblin in several days! But still, Hoggle felt overwhelmed. "He coulds help out a little more!" He finished in a huff.

Sarah smiled down at Hoggle, "Don't be too hard on him."

"Bah!" Hoggle said with a wave of his hand.

Sarah held her tongue for a moment. Hoggle and Jareth had their own complicated relationship, odd as it was, and she decided then and there against upsetting the status quo. Instead, she moved onto another topic. "What did you need to see us about?"

"Oh," Hoggle said regaining his focus. "Flowers for the pathways. What kind would you like?"

Sarah noticed a long piece of paper folded in Hoggle's pocket and she reached for it without replying. "Is this the guest list?" As Hoggle nodded, Sarah grew alarmed. The parchment was as long as Hoggle was tall, every inch covered in columns of names. "Where are we going to put them all!" Panic began to set in. Her first royal affair was going to be a disaster. What would Jareth think? "Oh my God, Hoggle!"

"Now's you know, huh?" Hoggle said with understanding.

Before Sarah could respond, a light fluty laugh filled the hall. "Forgive me, I don't mean to intrude, but you are concerned for nothing." Sophia dressed in grey and blues entered the room. Her blue eyes were kind, and Hoggle did a clumsy bow. Sarah made no attempt to greet her, but Sophia smiled all the same. "Lady Sarah, it is a pleasure to see you again."

"And you, as well," Sarah replied courteously. The last time Sophia paid the castle a visit, Jareth had been enraged and he never told her what was said, but Sarah slightly mistrusted the sisters. So far she had met two, and neither meeting had been very pleasant.

Sophia could feel waves of hostility from Sarah, but she ignored them. "As I was saying, you are worrying too much. Underground ceremonies are large, yes, but you will not need to house _all_ the guests."

Sarah frowned, "But Jareth has been making arrangements."

"Some will stay, this is true, but nearly all will return to their own lands," Sophia glanced outside through a small window. "You are Underground, now. Remember, we have magic."

"Trust me, it's hard to forget," Sarah said lightly as she joined the Sister by the window. So much around her was different. The Labyrinth was mostly a brown land. The castle was brown, the maze walls were brown. "Hoggle," she said without turning, "I want color. I don't care what kinds of flowers, just color."

"And pleasant smelling," Sophia added quickly. Sarah may want color, but Sophia knew many varieties of flowers were very beautiful to see, but very disgusting to smell.

Hoggle scribbled something down and bowed, recognizing a dismissal, and needing to continue his duties. "Yes, your Majesty," he said before hurriedly walking away.

The two women stood side by side looking out upon the Labyrinth and the Goblin City. Sarah was unsure what to say, and Sophia seemed content with the silence. After a few minutes, Sophia reached out and brought Sarah's hand up for a closer inspection of her ring. The band was delicate gold that shimmered in the light. The center diamond was small, but surrounded by opals, rubies and emeralds arranged in such a way as to suggest a rose. The ring was beautiful, and Sophia could sense a great age upon the ring. "From Jareth?" Sophia asked as she released Sarah's hand.

Sarah's face blushed red briefly as she gazed upon her ring. "Our engagement ring," she said with a smile, her eyes still far away.

"It suits you," Sophia said genuinely and Sarah smiled. "From what I remember of these affairs, the bride should have a dress. May I see yours?

"I actually don't have one yet," Sarah said her expression unreadable.

Sophia's blue eyes widened. It was unfathomable that Jareth would not provide his bride with a gown! What was he thinking? "But, Jareth…"

Sarah smiled at Sophia's horrified tone. "Let me explain. In the Above, it's considered bad luck for the groom to see the wedding gown before the wedding." Besides, when Sarah had asked Jareth what she was to wear, he had recreated the ballroom dress from her last visit as a joke. Well, she hadn't appreciated that as much as he had, so Sarah was now determined to get her dress without him.

Thinking she understood, Sophia spoke softly. "_I_ could help," she offered.

"Really?" When Sophia nodded, Sarah began to get excited. "Come on then!" And like a young girl, she rushed down the hall. After the shock wore off, Sophia gathered her robes and followed quickly, bare feet silent on the stone floors.

* * *

Jareth's private wing was abuzz with goblins this afternoon. They were scrubbing floors, dusting rugs and tapestries, polishing lanterns, and all other sorts of cleaning. Jareth tried his best to ignore the ruckus as he read and signed his paperwork, but eventually he ordered the goblins out of his study and closed the door. There were other rooms for them to clean, and Jareth had work to do. A kingdom did not stop just because its king decided to marry. There were petitions to sign, taxes to consider, trade deficits and surpluses, all manner of work. Jareth hadn't been joking when he told Hoggle he didn't have time to plan a wedding. It was all worth it in the end though. Soon Sarah would be his queen. Everything and anything was worth having that.

So engrossed was he in his thoughts, that Jareth never heard the door to his study open, and he never saw the flash of blond and green sneak into the room. Heryah watched Jareth from the shadows, quietly, for she did not want to give herself away. She admired him as he focused on his paperwork, settling into a comfortable pattern of reading and signing. She admired the sight of his shoulders and back, straight and proud even when alone. From her vantage point she could see his aquiline profile, aristocratic and beautiful. No other creature came close to Jareth's appeal, and Heryah burned to have him. She wanted him, she had planned and waited centuries for him and she was _not_ going to stop now. Somehow, she would have the Goblin King. Her green eyes narrowed and she slipped back out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

Jareth lifted his head, eyes scanning the room uneasily. He had felt watched, spied upon, nearly certain he had recognized a magical signature, but no one was in the study with him. He frowned and tried to shake off the feeling of foreboding that had suddenly overcome him. Nothing was going to happen, nothing, he told himself. His fist clinched. He would tear this world apart if it did.

* * *

**I am sadly running out of free time, so postings will be pretty often from here on out. Maybe even daily.  
**

**And oh that Heryah. What could she up to? ;-) Of course _I _know, but stick around and soon you will too.  
**

**Next time: Final preparations for the wedding! Hee hee.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok, this is the last chapter before the wedding. Remember, I don't own anything ;)  
**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 11 (_Final Preparations_)**

* * *

Sarah yawned as she pushed the food around on her plate. It was late in the evening and she and Jareth had finally managed to sit down to dinner, but now that she was sitting she was too weary to eat. Jareth ate slow and steady, absentmindedly twirling a knife in his left hand as he read a few documents on the table. The swirling silver captivated Sarah and she leaned forward on her elbows, resting her chin on her hands. "You really need to show me how you do that."

He looked up at her confused before her eyes glanced at the knife. "Ah," he said halting the knife's path and placing it down next to his plate.

"No, really, teach me." Sarah pushed her plate away and scooted her chair closer to Jareth.

"Perhaps we should start with something else, hmm?" At first, Jareth had thought Sarah was teasing him. Twirling the knife had become a habit born out of pure boredom from eating alone for centuries. Half the time he hadn't realized he was doing it, but he could see Sarah was genuinely interested. He produced a crystal and began rolling it from hand to hand in a simple pattern.

"How do you do that? Magic?" Sarah's eyes followed the crystal's motions with appreciation.

Jareth laughed, "Not magic, my dear, just many long years of practice." He handed her the crystal.

Sarah weighed it in her hands. "Ok," she said excitedly, "what do I do?"

Jareth created another crystal and placed in on the back of his hand, holding it steady and in place. Sarah mimicked him, but her crystal slipped off, banging and clanging on the wooden table. She quickly gathered it up and put it back on her hand, this time holding it steady. Jareth slowly moved his hand, causing the crystal to move down towards his elbow and then back again, resting at its starting place.

Sarah tried to copy, but the crystal slipped off her forearm. She expected it to crash onto the table, but Jareth moved forward, catching the crystal midair. He was close to her, smiling mischievously, blue eyes sparkling. "Time and practice," he whispered in her ear, giving her goose bumps up and down her body.

"Time and practice," she repeated, the crystal all but forgotten by Jareth's close proximity. She slid from her chair to his. Straddling his body, she began untying his vest strings, smiling as he watched her. "But not right now."

He held her waist with both hands, "But not right now," he agreed.

Two crystals rolled from the table, onto the floor, twisting and circling, bumping against one another, forgotten in a moment of passion.

* * *

The following days passed quickly. The castle was transformed from a stone monstrosity to something warm and inviting. Hallways were covered by colorful rugs and tapestries. Flowers of all shapes and sizes adorned every spare corner. Fanciful ribbons hung from columns, windowsills, and door frames. The Labyrinth had been rearranged to form a large clearing to hold the ceremony and it too was decorated with flowers and ribbons. Jareth gazed outside his window and smiled.

Today was the day Sarah became his wife, his queen, in every possible way. Today was the official beginning of a life he had dreamed about for more than three hundred years. He heard Sarah laughing from an adjoining room, and he slightly shook his head in amusement. He was forbidden from seeing her today, before the ceremony. When he had asked her to explain it to him last night she had muttered something about tradition. And this morning, Sophia had reminded him again when he had sought Sarah's company for breakfast. Apparently, the Blue Sister was helping Sarah, for which Jareth was relieved. In all honesty, he needed Sarah distracted, for he had a surprise planned for her. He glanced at the clock, verifying the time, then with a quick quirk of the mouth, vanished from his room.

* * *

Sophia paused while doing Sarah's hair, her gaze unfocused and confused. Either she was going insane, or Jareth had just left the Underground.

Sarah watched the expression through the reflection of the mirror. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"Hmm?" Sophia blinked and continued curling Sarah's long hair with a heated iron. "It's nothing," she said with a smile.

"Right," Sarah said rolling her eyes. "Boy, are _you_ a bad liar."

Sophia laughed. "It really _is_ nothing," she managed to say with more confidence. It certainly was not going to be helpful telling Sarah that Jareth had left the castle. _That_ she would keep to herself. She glanced up to the mirror, double checking the symmetry of Sarah's hair. Sarah was absolutely glowing with excitement. Her cheeks were flushed with a natural blush, her lips red with rouge, and her eyes were a dazzling forest green. After finishing her hair, Sophia instructed Sarah to stand, wrapping a corset around her cloth undergarments. Sarah had originally refused the constraining garments, but Sophia explained the dress needed the shape and support. So, Sarah sucked in her breath as Sophia pulled the stays tight. Sarah may have been apprehensive about the corset, but she had to admit, her waist and breasts had never looked better once the corset was tight. Sarah gathered the first of many layers of her wedding dress and slipped it over head. Then another layer followed, then another and another, each piece adding volume, texture and color. And weight.

"Phew!" Sarah said swaying, "This weighs more than I do!"

Sophia straightened the folds of fabric and synched up the stays from the back. "Yes, well, it is a royal gown, and it is truly beautiful."

Sarah turned slowly towards the mirror, her dress swishing a second behind her. Her breath left her as she saw her reflection. It had to be someone else there, it couldn't be her. She touched her intricate hairstyle, some strands were pulled up with a golden tiara holding them in place, and the rest fell in tight curls down her back and around her shoulders. Her skin looked like porcelain, her eyes deep green. And oh the dress! Apparently white and wedding gown were not synonymous Underground. The gown was deep gold with intricate brocade sewn with actual gold thread decorating the front. Underneath there was a shimmery purple layer. The sleeves were long and slender, tapering off to points that trailed to the floor. A train of purple and gold lace clipped to the back of her waist and trailed ten feet behind her. Sophia helped her step into soft golden slippers bejeweled with diamonds. Her front piece was also heavily decorated with diamonds. And still she held her breath.

This was it. This was the day of her dreams. Strange how so little time had passed since she first saw Jareth again. But in a way, he had always been there. Even before Sarah understood her past, Jareth had always been there. She was beginning to realize that she had always been searching for him, even if she hadn't been able to internalize her search. Now, though, she thought she understood that she and Jareth were bound together. Bess' memories made this day seem a long time coming, and Sarah could hardly contain her excitement.

"You look beautiful," Sophia said as she fixed a few pieces of her hair.

"Thank you," Sarah said. Then her mouth turned down in a frown and she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm not dreaming, right? I'm not going to wake up tomorrow and discover none of this is real, right?"

"No, this is real." Sophia felt another use of magic in the air seconds before a knock came from the door. "You cannot come in Jareth!"

Sarah spun towards the door, excitement on her face.

Jareth laughed from the hallway. "I'm just dropping off a present." His voice became muted and then the women could hear several pairs of feet move away from the door.

Together, Sarah and Sophia stared at the door, and then briefly glanced at each other, slightly confused. Then a woman's voice called from the hallway. "Sarah! Let me in."

Sarah's mouth opened wide. "That's my stepmother, Karen! Let her in, let her in!" Sarah tried to rush to the door, but the heavy dress slowed her progress.

With a smile, Sophia opened the door, and let the other mortal woman inside. It was a fitting gift, she thought with a smile. Karen and Sarah embraced and began talking anxiously, excitedly, and Sophia found herself enjoying the moment as well.

* * *

Jareth stood before a tall mirror, pulling dark brown gloves over his hands and tugging them into position. He did not want one wrinkle to show. As king, his wedding attire was predominantly armor. The gold breastplate lay beside him; an owl of white gold was hammered into the metal, wings outstretched in flight. His pauldrons had a similar design. His crown, which he never once had worn, was placed on a counter, glittering in the sunlight. And Jareth had an audience. Sarah's father was busy inspecting his brandy collection, but not five feet away was a tall teenage boy with blond hair that fell over bright blue eyes. Sarah's brother, Toby, wore an Aboveground tuxedo and a frown as he stared at Jareth's reflection in the mirror.

Jareth could feel the heavy gaze upon him as he pulled on his knee high boots. "Well, speak up Toby."

Toby flinched, but did not move away. "I know you." Jareth glanced at the boy from the corner of his eye, but said nothing, so Toby continued. "Even before Mom and Dad explained to me, I knew you. Sarah used to tell me stories about you." Jareth paused and turned towards Toby, who was maintaining eye contact. "And I _remember_ you, don't I? You sang when I cried…I've been here before, haven't I?"

Jareth glanced up as Robert began walking towards them. He placed a hand on Toby's shoulder and gave a small squeeze. "Yes, you were here before, but right now is not the time to discuss this." Toby followed Jareth's gaze and gave a quick nod. "Bring me that piece of armor there, Toby."

Toby obeyed and helped Jareth into the heavier pieces of armor. Apparently, kings generally had a servant help them, but Jareth explained to Robert and Toby that goblins were more likely to eat the armor than help him with it. Toby clicked the last buckles into place and tied on a heavy purple cloak of lush velvet. "Why not just use magic?" he asked as he stepped back.

Smiling, Jareth appraised his reflection. "Tradition," he said with amusement, even though he knew Toby would not understand. A trumpet blared outside and all three men turned toward the sound.

"Is it time?" Toby asked excited.

Jareth's smile widened and he placed the tall crown of gold and silver atop his head. "Indeed it is."

* * *

**Ok, next chapter really is the wedding. The chapter would have been enormous, so I had to break it into two.  
**

**It'll probably be up later today. Keep reading and stay happy peoples. :-)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ok, so here it is! Finally, the wedding. The end of this chapter gets a little steamy, so I'm rated it M (though probably a T+ would work) I do not own Labyrinth, but do own some characters, namely the Three Sister. Enjoy!**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 12 (_Ceremonials_)**

* * *

To say Sarah was nervous was an understatement. The entire courtyard was buzzing with the low, excited whispers of hundreds of guests. It seemed the Underground royalty were curious about Jareth's bride, for all the space in the enlarged courtyard was full. Sarah spied through a window and saw such creatures she'd only ever dreamed existed; centaurs and minotaur, dwarves, elves, women who were long and willowy like trees, men who were gruff and stood five feet above everyone else.

When the trumpet blared, Sarah paled, her stomach flip-flopped and suddenly her hands began to shake. She was going to have to walk past all those guests alone. Underground ceremonies did not include the father of the bride escorting her down the aisle. No, Sarah would have to do this herself. She watched through her window as guests stood from their chairs in near unison. Jareth was walking down the aisle; a small group of armored goblins accompanied him with spears and banners. Jareth was resplendent in his gold and purples, a crown glittered on his head, a purple cloak trailed behind him. Sarah froze and just admired him from her vantage point inside the castle walls. He was undeniably gorgeous, especially with the high noon sun gleaming off his armor. Jareth was brighter than the sun.

Another trumpet sound and Sarah shakily drew in a breath. Both Sophia and Karen had taken their seats. Now, it was just her, and somehow she had to walk down that foreboding gauntlet. The double doors opened, blinding her as the sun shone in her eyes. She was a deer in the headlights, frozen in fear. As her vision returned, the eyes of all the guests were upon her, staring, appraising, unyielding in their scrutiny. A strong desire to run overcame her. What was she doing here! She was no queen to sit on a throne, no fairytale princess to wed a prince!

Then she saw Jareth's face. He was calmly watching her, one hand resting on the hilt of a sword. Even from this distance, Sarah could see understanding in his eyes…and love. Always love. That is why she was standing in a dress of purple and gold, in front of a crowd of strangers, and that was why she began to move forward, one step at a time. Sarah was not here for these strangers, she was here for Jareth. Jareth, _her_ Jareth. The world narrowed around him, and she just focused on his mismatched eyes that unblinkingly held her gaze. All the guests faded away and there was only Sarah and Jareth, standing together before an altar.

The ceremony began when an old wizened man with a long beard of white and a robe of gold spoke to the audience and spoke to Sarah and Jareth. Sarah repeated words of fealty, loyalty, vowed to protect the kingdom and king, and though she said the words, she'd never be able to remember what exactly was said in the moments before a soft rope was placed around her and Jareth's wrists, binding them together. The guests cheered as Jareth led her down the aisle and back into the castle.

Scarcely had the doors closed behind them before Jareth pulled her towards him. Lifting her feet from the ground, he kissed her passionately. "Now you are mine."

"And you are mine," Sarah said returning the kiss. The sounds from the courtyard, seating being rearranged, guests laughing and cheering, servants running around, all of it caused Sarah to frown. "We have to go back out there?"

Jareth let Sarah's feet touch the ground, grinning. "Of course." He leaned into her conspiratorially. "The sooner we do so, the sooner we can leave."

Her face brightened at that and she lightly tugged at their bound hands. "Let's go then! Let's get this show on the road!"

Jareth's grin widened into a full smile, and he led them back outside. They were greeted by cheers and applause and together Jareth and Sarah made their way to a new fixture in the courtyard. At the end of a long walkway, sitting on a raised platform, were two chairs. They were simple chairs of dark wood, smooth and shiny, but engraved in the wood were symbols and signs. Some patterns, like Jareth's pendant, Sarah recognized, but many she did not. They were beautiful, all the same, and she gently sat in the chair next to Jareth. Soon, a steady stream of guests came to them to congratulate them and to bestow gifts. After several minutes, Sarah began mentally referring to this experience as "Meet and Greet". Sarah quickly realized that some guests came merely to gawk at the Aboveground human queen, and though they were courteous and respectful, she felt odd under their gaze. Others came to reaffirm political loyalties with Jareth. It fell into a pattern, guest then gift, guest then gift. Sarah was quite overwhelmed.

However, Sarah eventually grew restless and in all honesty, a little bored. All the names and places began to blur. The guests seemed to be using a preplanned speech, and Sarah had quickly adopted a generic response. But when the centaurs approached in a group of four, Sarah was speechless with excitement. Her lack of speech did not appear an issue though, for the centaurs addressed Jareth in a different language, guttural and fast. There was some gesturing to her and then to a smaller centaur, and then back to Jareth. Sarah watched with avid curiosity as Jareth responded in their language, a small expression of surprise crossing his face as he turned toward her. "They wish to present you with a centauri bow. It's quite an honor, Sarah."

As a younger centaur approached, Sarah rose from the throne. The young centaur was a dapple grey; his coat gleamed in the sunlight. His human chest was covered in an elaborate vest, like the rest of the party, and in his arms was a beautiful longbow. The centaur knelt and placed the bow in Sarah's arm as he spoke to Jareth, who translated as the centaur spoke.

"The wood comes from one of their sacred yews. The string," he cut off midsentence and uttered a few quick words to which the centaurs nodded. "The string is made from their tails." He leaned forward from his throne, staring at her intently. "It is very rare Sarah, and a true gift for a queen."

Sarah smiled a secret smile. Thank you Dad for archery lessons, she said silently. The bow truly was beautiful, the yew silver, slender, and smooth; one single piece, but the bow was shorter than she was and she frowned as she fingered the taught string.

The young centaur spoke inquisitively to Jareth, who repeated the question when Sarah looked back at him. "He asks why you are displeased."

Sarah bit her lip and turned toward Jareth. "The bow is amazing, but I'll never be able to pull it. It's much too short for me, and the poundage will be too great." She had whispered much of her reply, but a few nobles nearby heard and laughed lightly without malice.

Jareth's eyes sparkled, but he was amused as he replied. "This is not Above, remember; not everything is as it seems. The centaurs have been making bows since before humans walked on two legs. Try and see."

Sarah nodded and turned back toward the eagerly waiting centaurs. She drew the string, genuinely impressed when the bow yielded perfectly as she pulled the string. Jareth was speaking again to the centaurs as she demonstrated the bow and they made an odd sound that Sarah took for laughter.

The young centaur before her pawed the ground with a fore hoof. "We make for queen," he said in halting English, heavy with grunts. "Bow for human, not bow for centaur."

Sarah slowly released the tension. "You all honor me." Jareth came to stand before her, speaking to the centaurs again in their language. They reared up and pounded the ground in near unison, shouting and punching the air with closed fists. Sarah's eyes widened as the group of centaurs turned away, still hollering. "What did you say to them?"

Jareth took her by the arm and led them back to their seats. "I told them thank you, and that they honor us both. I also granted them a future favor." Sarah glanced at him in confusion. "The centaurs are a proud race, but not overly magical. Sometimes, asking for help is not the simplest thing to do."

"I think I understand," Sarah said slowly. "The next time they need help, you will be obligated to them, so they may save face."

"Mmhmm," Jareth appraised her with a new light. "My dear, I think you will make a wonderful queen." Sarah graced him with a bright smile, and together they sat and received the rest of their guests.

Soon, the Three Sisters made their way down the path. The other Underground denizens bowed their heads in deference as Temanna, Sophia, and Heryah approached the newlyweds in unison. They wore similar gowns, but in their respectful colors. Sarah was amazed by their beauty. To her, they all looked like Greek goddesses, and for a moment Sarah wondered if the Three Sisters were responsible for some of the Greek myths.

Together, the Three Sisters stood before Sarah and Jareth. Their resemblance to one another was uncanny when they shared the same space, and again Sarah was left with that uncomfortable feeling that she would never be able to compare with their beauty. Temanna's amber eyes were wide and bright and she spoke with a smile, "We congratulate you, Jareth and Sarah, and know that your lives will be filled with happiness."

"You have our blessings," Sophia said with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

Heryah paused for a moment, her green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "I'm sure you will be quite happy together," she finally said. Temanna and Sophia gazed at their sister, but said nothing.

Jareth stood from his chair, his tied hand behind him, and bowed to the sisters. "Thank you," he said genuinely. The sisters nodded their heads and resumed their seats. Jareth projected his voice. "Now, let us celebrate!"

The rest of the evening was spent dancing, and eating, and talking, and then dancing again. Wherever Jareth went, Sarah went, for their hands were bound together. Not that Sarah would have wanted to be away from Jareth anyway. The party lasted through the rest of the day and into the evening. Eventually, Sarah began to get weary and she yawned. She must have closed her eyes, for suddenly she found herself cradled in Jareth's arms.

"And I think," Jareth said with a smile, "that we shall call it a night." He had spoken low, only to her, and his voice had sent shivers up and down her spine. Seeing such intensity in his eyes, Sarah forgot her tiredness. She managed a quick nod. Jareth spied the area around them and transported them away without as much of a "by your leave" to the guests. Apparently, Sarah was not the only one ready for the evening to be over.

Or rather, to begin…

There was a bed beneath her. That was the first thought Sarah had after leaving the party. She was quite nude. That was the second thought. After that, there was no more thought, only feeling and sensation as Jareth found and captured her mouth. The room was dark, she couldn't see her hands in front of her face, but she didn't need to. She let her hands roam up and down Jareth's body, reveling in the feel. And when he moved within her, she began to see colors. It was so easy to be lost in the moment with Jareth. Sarah ceased to exist. She was just given pleasure, or she just gave pleasure. That was how the night passed: pleasure upon pleasure, until neither could move. Still, when they finally slept, their legs were intertwined, and their hands were still bound by rope.

* * *

**Stay tuned. I promise you, things are about to get very interesting. ;)**

**~Nylle **


	13. Chapter 13

**The Highwayman**

**Chapter 13 (_Intrigues_)**

* * *

The world before Sarah was unlike any she had ever dreamed. She stood in a crystal forest, or more precisely, a forest of crystal. The tree trunks were sliver and blue, polished smooth like glass. The branches above shimmered with a natural efflorescence, the leaves tinkled like chimes on the breeze, filling the entire forest with soft music. Jareth leaned against a crystal tree, content to watch as Sarah turned in circles, gasping at the beauty all around her. Despite the crystalline appearance, the forest was a pleasant temperature, if not a little humid.

Sarah finally touched a tree trunk. "It's warm," she said in awe.

Smiling, Jareth pulled off his gloves, placing a hand on a nearby branch. "This is one of the oldest forests in the Underground, reserved almost exclusively for royalty."

"Are…are we staying here?" Sarah said with baited breath.

Jareth moved from the tree and extended a hand to his new queen, who accepted. Together, Jareth led them through the forest and around a bend, and into view of a stone cottage. The cottage matched the forest, all blues and greys. Had Jareth not pointed it out, she would have walked right by. Standing before the door, with two large chests beside him, was Hoggle, impatiently tapping his toe.

"About times you got here. I can't very wells unload without a key to get in." He said glaring at Jareth.

"And I thought you had keys to everywhere," Jareth purred back. Hoggle harrumphed and Jareth laughed, producing a slender key that he placed into Hoggle's outstretched hand. Hoggle would be a housekeeper of sorts for Sarah and Jareth while they honeymooned. He had his own cabin, smaller and a ways from the main house. Arranging the dwarf to accompany them had been harder than Jareth had imagined. At first, Hoggle refused, claiming he was no housemaid and no cook, even though Jareth knew the little dwarf fixed his meals. The quality of food had greatly increased since Hoggle came to the castle, and Jareth knew for a fact the goblin chef was the same. Jareth also suspected Hoggle of retraining his private goblin servants, for they too were more efficient. But it was in Hoggle's nature to be under-appreciated, so Jareth played ignorant. Yet, Hoggle's original refusal had irritated Jareth. Only after threatening to leave Hoggle in control of all goblin affairs did the dwarf pale and accept Jareth's generous offer.

And now, the dwarf opened the door and let in a smiling Sarah who touched his shoulder as she passed. Hoggle tried to mask his pleasure, which caused Jareth to laugh. "Get the trunks, Hoghead; I'll light the candles."

* * *

Days passed in a wonderful haze. For once in Jareth's very long life, he relaxed and tried to remain calm. The Crystal Forest aided him; there was something tranquil about the music in the air from the wind brushing through the trees. Having Sarah next to him didn't hurt either. She was a balm to his restless soul, when she was near all his rage toward the world disappeared. Laughter came easier, forgiveness came easier, and he was more patient. Sarah made him feel nearly human again, and for one who had spent centuries as a creature of magic, that was no small feat.

Today they lounged in a meadow of blue grass. Insects sat upon the taller blades of grass, chirping and chiming. Most of the wildlife mimicked the forest surroundings. Insects had bodies of crystal blue; the furred creatures were grey and blue. Jareth relaxed against a tree stub, long since fallen from a storm. Sarah leaned against him, practicing with a crystal ball. Hoggle was busy setting a small table nearby. The sun, though high in the sky, provided warmth, but not dazzling brightness. The crystal forest reflected much of the light away. Even cloudless, the forest stayed in perpetual dawn and dusk.

An empty flask of wine was abandoned beside Jareth, and soon he found himself dozing. His nights were not particularly restful, not with a new bride, but Jareth did not fault Sarah the lack of sleep. In fact, he rather enjoyed their nights together. But right now, his eyelids grew heavy. Jareth sighed, and came to a realization: he was happy.

Small touches to his face roused him from his nap, and he opened his eyes to a welcome, if not curious sight. Sarah sat upon his lap, hands caressing his cheekbones, his nose, his lips, and lastly his eyes. Here she paused, repeating the touches over his eyelids and up to his brows. "Where did these come from? These marks?"

"Ah," he said lifting a hand to his face. "As I used more magic, these became more prominent." He shrugged elegantly. "I don't give them much thought."

"They're lovely." Sarah moved away, smiling. "Look what I've managed."

Jareth watched as Sarah successfully moved the crystal up and down her arm and then around her hand. He applauded lazily. "Now use both hands."

"Ha!" Sarah said throwing the crystal towards him. "Slave driver!"

Jareth caught the crystal effortlessly. "Slave driver? Me?" He said in mock hurt. "I seem to remember someone waking me up in the middle of the night only to-"

"Lunch is prepared!" Hoggle said loudly and quickly, interrupting Jareth from finishing his sentence.

Red had crept up into Sarah's cheeks, and she avoided Jareth's twinkling eyes. "Yeah, lunch."

"A conspiracy, I see." Jareth stood and brushed his poet's shirt down. "Let us eat then, Sarah, but be forewarned, we will finish this very interesting conversation."

Sarah swallowed, eyes gleaming. "I look forward to it."

Hoggle moaned internally as he served the royal couple, wishing he could block their conversation from his ears and very, very, glad to have his own cabin away from the newly-weds.

* * *

The Aboveground bar smelled like sweat, beer and men, human men that were laughing obnoxiously, talking loudly, pointing at a strange box with humans inside. The men were all different, some wore suits, some were casual, some had long hair, some had none, some were skinny, and some were slobs. They were so different, and yet, so the same. Wherever Heryah went, eyes followed her and conversation stopped. Even drunk and halfway to oblivion, the mortal men would watch her sashay across the room, knowing full well the sequined dress she wore perfectly accentuated her curves from the front and the back. The blond in her hair was brushed and her locks shone in the dim bar light.

All these men did not concern Heryah. Though their eyes followed her body, no one would dare approach her. On some instinctual level, they knew Heryah was dangerous, and they gave her plenty of space to approach the one man who she was searching. This man was staring forlornly into a glass of whiskey, short hair disheveled, dress suit wrinkled and unbuttoned. He paid her no attention until she spoke, her accent on odd sound.

"Tell me you are not pining over that little chit." Heryah snarled.

"What do you want? You're one of them," the man said resentfully. The whiskey was strong on his breath and his words were slurred.

Heryah rolled her eyes as she took the barstool next to Derrick Scott. "Having a lovely pity party, hmm?" Heryah reached for the whiskey and downed the glass as Derrick watched with distrusting eyes.

"Yeah, and what's it to you?"

The slap across Derrick's face was sudden and shocking. The bar keep was going to object, but with a little magic from Heryah, the man forgot the incident and walked away, shaking his head in confusion. Heryah leaned forward. "You are not the only who has been jaded, but I think we can help each other."

Derrick rubbed his cheek, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Heryah sighed. "Your precious Sarah has become a thorn in my side. I want you to take her off my hands."

"You're crazy." Derrick said with vehemence. "And Sarah already made her choice."

"Yes, well, leave that to me." Derrick just sat and stared stupidly at Heryah, and she hated stupidity. "I'm offering this as a courtesy. I could just kill her." Heryah failed to mention that it would be the second time she had Sarah removed. Her threat spurred Derrick from his stupor.

"No, no, no, don't kill her." He sounded genuinely afraid and Heryah knew she had him. She sat back, eyes gleaming and he sighed in resignation. "Tell me what you want me to do."

* * *

**Stay tuned to find out Heryah's plans. ;-)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**I friendly reminder: I do not own Labyrinth, I do own the Three Sisters and Derrick Scott...though I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed of that...**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 14 (_Dissolution_)**

* * *

Sarah was sleeping peacefully, one bare shoulder exposed from under the silken sheets. Her long hair was fanned out around her, and Jareth lovingly caressed the strands in between his fingers. He was glad she was sleeping, but slumber would not claim him. Before he left their room, he wrapped a robe around his body and then covered Sarah's shoulder.

With a sigh, he sat at the dining table, a lit candle magically appeared. As happy as Jareth was, some pressing kingdom issues were plaguing him. Though the Sisters would keep an eye on his goblins while he was away, they would not think of future matters, and Jareth was a little concerned when wheat and grain prices rose higher than expected. A parchment and feathered pen appeared before him, and Jareth began to work on a new trade agreement with neighboring kingdoms. Boring, yes, but necessary.

He never heard Heryah magically slip into the room. He only had the briefest moment to realize something was wrong when he felt a sharp prick to his shoulder. The room twisted and blurred, and soon Jareth was falling to the floor. The impact did not even register. The room was swimming around him, his breathing was uneven and shallow and he tried to clutch his chest, or tried to call out, but he seemed frozen, eyes open, unblinking. The last image he had was of emerald green eyes triumphantly peering down at him, and then the world went black.

* * *

Something was wrong. Sarah woke unnaturally fast, immediately knowing Jareth was not asleep next to her; even though the room was pitch black. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and Sarah had a strange sense of foreboding. Quietly she eased from the bed, wrapping a night robe around her body as she tiptoed across the floor to the adjoining living space. At first, nothing seemed out of place. A candle was burning on the table, illuminating a paper, but Jareth was nowhere in the cottage. Frowning, Sarah moved closer to inspect the paper. Jareth's smooth cursive covered the page, but about halfway down the ink streaked carelessly and messily to the right, like he had been startled.

Sarah grew concerned and dropped the paper. "Jareth?" Her voice quivered as she tried to swallow her fear. "Jareth?" Again there was no answer. Anxiety gripped her heart and she raced to the door, opening it and yelling into the night. "Jareth!" There was no sound in the balmy night and Sarah gripped the door until her knuckles were white. Something had happened. She didn't know what or how, she just knew deep in her soul that something was wrong. For a moment she was frozen, consumed by worry and dread, then a flicker of hope came to her. Hoggle. She'd go find Hoggle. He'd know what to do. She tightened her robe and left the stone cabin, walking briskly into the forest.

The Crystal Forest was dimly lit. The trees and shrubs of the forest captured the sunlight and slowly released it throughout the night, creating an eerie glow that cast strange and freakish shadows. Sarah only made ten feet or so when someone smoothly appeared from behind a tree. Even in the odd light, Sarah instantly recognized the Sister in Green. Heryah may not be on of Sarah's favorite people, but at least she was familiar.

"Heryah! Have you seen Jareth out here?" Heryah remained silent, her green eyes roaming up and down Sarah's body in a way that made her feel like prey. Sarah pushed away her fear and moved closer. "Heryah, please. I need your help."

That roused a reaction. Heryah smiled, but the smile only caused Sarah more concern. There was no warmth, no caring in those red lips and green eyes. Sarah took a step back, instantly knowing it was a bad choice. Like any other predator, Heryah sensed a weakness and she moved from the tree in such swiftness that all Sarah saw was a blur. In the next moment she was thrown to the ground. All the air was rushed out of her chest and black spots floated in her vision. Her body was being held down and something very cold and very sharp was at her neck. She took a careful, albeit ragged breath and blinked away the spots. Heryah was leaning over her, grasping both of Sarah's hands above her head while holding a slender blade to her neck. Sarah said nothing as Heryah sneered down at her.

"I could kill you so easily," she said pressing the blade into Sarah's skin. Though the blade was biting, it did not draw blood. Again, Sarah remained silent, not daring to anger her captive. "But it wouldn't do me any good. I've tried once before, you see." Sarah frowned, despite herself. "No?" Heryah saw the change of expression and leaned a little closer. "It was very long ago and you bore a different name then."

Sarah bit her lip, confused. A different name? Bess? But… "I pulled that trigger," she whispered, anger seeping in her voice.

"Fool!" Spat Heryah. "Who do you think told the Red Coats where to go?"

Horror and anger warred inside Sarah as Heryah's words soaked into her brain. Heryah was responsible for that night? Heryah's action had brought about Bess and Jareth's untimely deaths? This creature was the reason Jareth had been alone for centuries? Anger won out over horror, and Sarah's green eyes burned with a hatred that rivaled Heryah's own. Only one question formed in Sarah's mind. "Why?"

Heryah laughed. "Love, why else? I had watched over Jareth, loved him from a far. Even as a mortal he had charisma and charm unlike any of the other men. He shone so brightly. And I wanted him. But it seemed Jareth had eyes only for Bess, his green eyed beauty. Well, I had eyes of green too. All I had to do was remove you."

"That worked out well," Sarah said angrily. "You killed us both, remember?" Heryah whipped the knife hilt across Sarah's face, bloodying her lip. It hurt like hell, but Sarah found strange satisfaction in angering Heryah, as dangerous as it may be.

"He wasn't to be hurt, but like a fool he rushed back to avenge you. I never understood why he did such a stupid thing."

Sarah smiled, ignoring the pain as she pulled at her cut lip. "Why? For love, why else?"

Heryah froze and narrowed her eyes. "It won't matter. Soon, you'll both forget and I will have him."

Forget? Forget? Fear came back to Sarah, deflating all her bravado and anger. "Heryah, what have you done?" She tried to sit up, but Heryah just smiled.

"Nothing you need worry about." Quick as a striking snake, Heryah jabbed Sarah in the shoulder with the skinny blade, and then she moved away, triumph shining in her eyes.

Once the pressure was off her body, Sarah tried to stand, but the world around her lurched to the side and she fell to the ground, losing her breath. Everything was spinning and dancing around her and she had a strange sense of déjà vu. The world began to dim and no matter how hard she fought the darkness, it soon enveloped her, wrapping her in a cocoon until only black existed and all her thoughts disappeared.

* * *

**Dun dun dun. See ya later ;-)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**And here we go, another chapter. Please enjoy!  
**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 15 (_Confusions_)**

* * *

Hoggle woke a little late, so he hurriedly dressed and made his way to the royal cabin. He had his own back entrance, so he quietly slipped in. Jareth would not be happy about his tardiness. Hoggle would be stretching the truth if he said he "liked" Jareth, but he certainly liked him more when he was happy! He adored Sarah, but she wasn't the moody monarch who threw his subjects into the Bog! Though in all honesty, Jareth hadn't even threatened him lately. He had even rewarded him by bringing him to the Crystal Forest. Hoggle knew only royalty was allowed; royalty and their most trusted servants. A small bit of pride swelled in his chest. Maybe it was Sarah. Maybe she was a good influence on Jareth.

When Hoggle entered the cabin, he was relieved to see no candles burning. Maybe the royal couple also decided to sleep in. The strange perpetual glow of the forest made sleeping a bit tricky. Hoggle moved into the kitchen, busily preparing breakfast, trying to keep the noise level down. About halfway done, Hoggle frowned. Nearly every morning by this time Jareth was awake, teasing Hoggle about his domestication. When his king did not arrive, Hoggle decided to give them a wake-up call.

He knocked on their door, noticing that it was slightly ajar. "Your majesties? Breakfast will be ready soon." Hoggle waited, worry growing as Jareth's normal "Go away Hoghead" remained unsaid. Hoggle edged himself into the room. "Majesties?" His eyes adjusted to the darkness and Hoggle was surprised when he saw an empty room. The bed was unmade and clothes were strewn messily on the floor, which was odd. Jareth usually used magic to straighten their personal room. Hoggle swallowed hard, worry knotting in his gut.

He returned to the main part of the house, a forgotten paper catching his eye at the dining table. Hoggle limped over and read the parchment, recognizing his king's hand, but confused when he saw the streak marring the perfection. Jareth may make for a lousy human being (in Hoggle's opinion), but a lousy king he was not. Something must have caught him off guard. And there, the feathered pen was lying on the ground, and the chair was pushed out from the table. A few small red dots stained the stone floor, and Hoggle bent down for a closer inspection, anxiety growing. Hoggle was no amateur hunter; that was blood on the floor…

Now he was afraid. "Sarah?" He called out. If Jareth had hurt her in anyway…but that made no sense! Hoggle had seen Jareth with Sarah, he knew he loved her. He had waited three hundred years to love her again. No, Jareth couldn't have hurt Sarah, but something was definitely wrong. "Jareth?" He called out tentatively. No answer. Hoggle headed for the front door, which was wide open. This was bad, very bad, he thought to himself. Hoggle stepped outside, the forest sounds unnaturally loud to his senses. He fidgeted with his hands. Something had happened, and something bad. He needed to find Jareth; find Jareth and he would find Sarah. But for now, Hoggle faced a greater problem. He was alone, in the middle of the Crystal Forest, leagues away from the Labyrinth. How was he going to get home?

* * *

The sounds of waves crashing upon the shore and gulls calling high on the wind woke Jareth from an uneasy sleep. His head pounded, his mouth was dry, and the morning sun sent pain through his temples when he tried to open his eyes. He brought a hand up, sluggishly, to shield his eyes from the light as he struggled to sit up. An empty wineskin dropped from his chest onto the warm sand. Jareth blinked a few times, trying to clear the fog from his brain. Squinting, he gazed out at an endless grey sea that spread as far as the eye could see. To his left were towering cliffs that dropped straight down to the raging shore below. He watched as wave after wave crashed on the rocky shore, spraying the cliff face and sometimes reaching the top. To his right were white sand dunes, whisking away with the wind. Suddenly Jareth recognized the North Sea, but for the life of him had no reason why he was there, sleeping on the sand.

Soft steps from behind made Jareth turn his head. He was unprepared for the sight. Heryah was approaching him, wearing a see through negligée that left little to the imagination. She smiled when she saw him glancing over her body.

"Well, you finally woke up. Next time we're at a wedding, try to go easy on the wine." Heryah said as she came to stand next to him, blocking the sun with her shadow.

Jareth frowned, "Wedding? What wedding?"

Heryah's eyebrows rose. "What was in that skin, hmm? Our wedding of course."

Flashes of a wedding came back to Jareth. The Labyrinth courtyard had been full of guests…he had stood at the altar, wearing purple and gold…and beside him? Beside him? Pain wracked his brain as he tried to remember. Someone was supposed to be next to him. Pain coursed through his head again. The images became blurred, but he seemed to remember Heryah…He closed his eyes as the pain subsided.

Heryah leaned beside him, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I told you not to drink that last skin."

"Yes, well," Jareth said moving away slightly, "It was a celebration, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was, my love."

Jareth stood from the sand, ignoring for the moment how it stuck to his clothes. He felt odd, and not just from a hangover. He hadn't even had a hangover in more than a century. No, something else was plaguing him. And the way Heryah watched him with plain adoration in her eyes concerned him. That he married her was a confusion, for as he stared down at her he knew he did not love her. He frowned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. These were not very kind things to think and Jareth sighed. "It seems I'm a little out of sorts this morning, Heryah."

She smiled as she stood. "Go freshen up. You'll feel better."

He nodded and made his way to a small log cottage that rested on the beach. Jareth had been to this retreat a few times in his past, but the North Sea was not actually his favorite destination spot. In all honesty, he appreciated the Crystal Forest's tranquility and peacefulness over the constant roar of the ocean.

He shook his head, brushed a hand through his hair and entered the cottage. Magic had all sorts of uses, and within moments Jareth had changed clothes. A basin of water appeared below a mirror and Jareth moved toward it, splashing the cool water on his face. When he glanced up at his reflection, he paused. There were dark circles forming under his eyes. The mismatched blue irises seemed dull, flat and lifeless. Jareth reached and touched his reflection with a bare hand, hardly recognizing the image in the mirror. What was wrong with him? And why, when he looked in the mirror, did he feel like he was looking for something? His chest began to ache and he involuntarily pressed the palm of a hand against his heart. Nothing made sense…and for a magical being who lived in a world of senselessness, this realization bothered Jareth to his very core. Heryah came into the cottage, calling out to him softly, and Jareth took a slow, deep breath. He plastered a fake smile on his lips, and went to Heryah, feeling oddly like a traitor as he did so.

* * *

Sarah woke as someone shook her shoulder. "Sarah, Sarah, we're here. Wake up." Blinking away the sleep, Sarah looked around and saw passengers gathering their belongings from overhead bins. She could hear the dim roar of jet engines and when she looked out a small window she saw they were taxied at an airport. A woman's voice came on the intercom and welcomed them all the Heathcliff International Airport and reminded them to have their passports ready and their claim slips filled out in full. Derrick Scott pulled at her arms, "You ready Sarah? Excited?"  
"Yes," she replied automatically, allowing herself to be pulled from her seat and down the aisles. The plane ride seemed a haze, but Sarah vaguely remembered Derrick telling her they were traveling for their honeymoon.

Through customs, through luggage claims and the twisting paths of the airport, Sarah remained quiet and thoughtful. Derrick had arranged help, so their luggage was handled for them. All they had to do was sit in the black town car that awaited them. So Sarah shuffled into the car, looking blankly out through the tinted windows as Derrick followed after her. He handed her bottled water, chuckling as he spoke, "That Dramamine did a number on you, didn't it?"

The water nearly spilled out as Sarah stifled a laugh, "It must have. How long was I out?"

"About twelve hours." He smiled as he stretched out, bringing his hands behind his head for a pillow. "Just relax; we'll be at the inn soon."

The inn was three stories tall, hidden from the main thorough way in the back country of God knows where. The wood was faded, but sturdy, the shutters were open and chickens and roosters lazily roamed the front driveway. A small village was within walking distance. Sarah had noted several shops and homes as they drove by. In short order, Sarah and Derrick checked in and were shown their room; a cozy suite with a large bedroom and a sitting room, as well as an oversized bathroom. Sarah entered the room, dropping her purse on a chair, and headed straight to the bathroom, where she closed and locked the door behind her. For a few minutes she just leaned against the door, eyes shut tight. Nothing felt right, everything felt backwards. She couldn't shake off feelings of confusion and dread that had plagued her since waking. It was like she was walking in a dream, or a dream within a dream. Her skin didn't belong to her. Shaking her head, she decided to splash cold water on her face, hoping to clear some of the fog from her mind. As the water dripped from her face, Sarah caught her reflection in the mirror and it stopped her cold. There was no joy in her expression and dark circles were forming under her eyes. Her skin was unusually pale and waxen, and she touched her hair, surprised at its lackluster. What was wrong with her? Why did she look and feel so…dull?

A knock at the door made her jump. "You alright in there, Sarah?" Came Derricks' voice through the door.

Hardly, she thought, forcing her gaze away from the mirror. "Yep," she said instead as she opened the door. "Just freshening up." She smiled at Derrick as she walked past him, not noticing as he thoughtfully rubbed his chin as he watched her walk away.

* * *

**Hee hee. Stay tuned for more.  
**

**And thanks for all the readers.  
**

**Grey Kindle: Aw, come on now. That's not fair ;)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ok, this chapter is rated M! So Warning! Things get a little...dark.  
**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 16 (_Unsound_)**

* * *

Days passed, and Jareth felt he was losing a grip on his reality. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, Jareth had dreams where he was lost in the Labyrinth. There were only two paths, but Jareth was frozen, unable to choose, unable to make a decision. And in these dreams, he was always cold, and it was always dark. He was not one to fear many things, but this place of emptiness and blackness frightened Jareth. Being awake, however, was not much better. He found himself walking along the shoreline, searching the distance for something he could not name. And, he was growing angry. Jareth knew his temper was short, but lately, any little thing was likely to set him off. And Heryah…Heryah was a large source of his consternation. After consummating their marriage that first night in the cottage, Jareth could barely look at her. He had felt sick afterward; sick in mind and body, and now he tried to keep his distance from his "wife". That word stuck in his throat: his "wife". Why would he marry Heryah? He didn't love her! He loved…and then the thought was gone, as if he never thought it.

"Dammit!" Jareth yelled out to the sky. Clouds gathered above him, lightning struck the sea, and thunder boomed in the distance. His thoughts raced away from him, always out of reach. He bent down and picked up a heavy stone, weighing it in his gloved hands before throwing it into the surf. It wasn't fair, he thought sourly. He paused, one foot hovering in mid step. Why did that sound familiar? He tried to concentrate, he tried to think, but it was like a heavy fog surrounded him from the inside. His foot touched the ground and he shook his head, frustrated and angry.

"Jareth!"

Jareth turned toward his name. Heryah was walking towards him, her loose green robes fluttering in the breeze. For just a moment he considered ignoring her, but he realized the cowardice of such actions. Instead, he remained still until she caught up with him.

"Isn't this place amazing?" She asked breathlessly as she hung on his arm.

He spared her a quick smile and began to walk again, noting with growing irritation that Heryah was still clinging to him. She was chatting on about nothing; Jareth did not really pay any attention. Heryah seemed to pay even less attention to his moodiness. She talked constantly about how they were going to be happy forever. Wherever he went, she followed. And the woman never missed an opportunity to touch him, or caress him. Even though he tried to keep his distance, she was always pulling him into kisses and embraces. Jareth did _try_ to enjoy these moments, but in truth he tolerated them more often than not. Eventually, Heryah left him, but reminded him that the sun was soon to set.

Jareth watched Heryah leave, internally shaking his head. In the distance he saw the towering cliffs and with a thought he transported himself to the top. He stood still, watching the sun sink into the ocean. The sky turned blood red as the sun seemed to be swallowed by the ocean's depths. And Jareth felt his heart sink with that sun. There was nothing out there for him now. His mood turned black as night cascaded down around him. There was nothing now, except that damned wooden cottage and Heryah. He stared out across the sea, flexing his hands. Jareth felt empty, lost and confused; these were not emotions Jareth was familiar with, nor was he very fond of them. And now he heard Heryah calling to him, and a strange fear crept into his soul. It made no sense. Why should he fear his own bride? A sudden pain in his chest caused him to double over, gasping for breath. As soon as it started, it passed, and Heryah was still calling to him.

Jareth straightened, but remained still in the darkness, his black clothes matching his mood as he stared down at the cottage. Rain began to fall from the heavy clouds above him, but it did nothing to soothe his soul. Anger washed over him, anger and rage. He was unsure where these feelings came from, and he did not care. He took a step forward, first hesitant, and then with more surety. Holding onto the anger was better than feeling nothing, he decided suddenly. And his anger was directed towards Heryah at this moment. He did not know why, but when he thought of Heryah and her green eyes he was filled with a passionate rage. It consumed him until he could not differentiate between where the rage stopped and the passion began. But he had a thought as he transported himself back to the beach. He paused before entering the cabin. If Heryah was his wife, then he _would_ take pleasure from her…from her body at least.

When he entered the cabin, he quashed all the candles magically and stalked over to the bed, where Heryah lie, naked and bare to him. He fell on her like a lion on prey, sinking his teeth into her flesh, causing her to scream out in shock. She never should have screamed, for her fear excited him more than her nakedness. Heryah must have sensed a change, for she tried to move away, but Jareth grabbed her hair, surprising another scream from her lips. The sound of her fear was making him hard and he leaned into Heryah's body, his clothes the only fabric between them.

Heryah struggled from under him, lashing out with her magic. Jareth just stared at her, eyes oddly flat as he brushed off the magical attack. "You wanted this, right Heryah?" Jareth still held her hair with one hand and he pinched a nipple with the other. "You've always wanted this." She whimpered, and whether from fear or desire made no difference to Jareth. He felt possessed, out of control, and he _loved_ it. He embraced the darkness that had been following him, failing to notice the marks above his eyes turning black. His clothes melted away from his body and he pressed some of his weight onto Heryah.

She shuddered and drew in a breath, whispering his name as she exhaled. It would have been better if she had said nothing, for something snapped inside Jareth when he heard his name uttered from her lips. All the kindness he ever felt towards Heryah was replaced by a burning hate. He wanted to cause her pain, and she screamed as he thrust himself inside her. Again she lashed out with magic, but Jareth smothered it down, and continued to move within her. Seeing her watch him with her wide, green eyes excited him more, and he pushed deeper. The moan that followed was not one of fear or pain, but pleasure. Heryah stopped fighting him and moved with him. She clawed his back and the pain was exquisite. They moved as one, both in pain and pleasure; the lines were blurred. Up and up they went, both crying out as they found release, then back down and down.

Jareth laughed as he pulled away from Heryah, hardly recognizing the sound of his own voice. Maybe there was a reason he married her after all, he thought as he fell on his back. It certainly wasn't for love. His body began to relax and he drifted off to sleep, never seeing the look of concern on Heryah's troubled face.

* * *

England's country suited Sarah. She found she wanted to be inside less and less. Oddly, she also wanted to be alone more and more. Derrick's company was pleasant, but for some reason not stimulating. She saw him, balding hair, paunchy waist, a good foot shorter than she, and wondered what she saw in him. Strange though, for she could remember a time when her greatest joy was to be called Mrs. Sarah Scott, but now the name turned to ashes in her mouth.

So today she found herself aimlessly walking and window shopping at the small market. Nothing really caught her interest. Even though the sun was shining on an unusually clear day, Sarah felt grey and overwhelmed by a sadness that had been slowly creeping through her heart. The greyness had been chasing her ever since they'd arrived in England, and Sarah was at a loss as to why she should be so unhappy on her honeymoon. She continued through the market, eventually buying an iced tea and sitting at a round table with an opened umbrella that provided some shade. A basket of fruit was in front of her, and Sarah absentmindedly sought out an orange. The weight and shape was familiar and oddly comforting. For a while, she just stared at the orange, mind blank but a certain longing in her heart that she could not understand or even put into words. Her green eyes glazed slightly over and she placed the orange on the back of her hand, rolling it back and forth, back and forth, in a strange circular dance.

"That's amazing," a young woman said making her way to Sarah. "It's like magic!"

Startled, Sarah dropped the orange. "Not magic, time and practice…time and practice…" Her voice was monotone, her green eyes staring at the forgotten fruit, unfocused and far away.

The young woman frowned slightly. "You alright?"

Unbidden tears filled Sarah's eyes, falling even as she tried to blink them away. "I hardly know," she managed to say as she brushed her tears away with the back of her hand. "Do you ever feel like you're in a dream? That this," she gestured all around her, "isn't real?"

The young woman exchanged a worried glance to an old woman who came to stand beside her. The old woman had greying curly hair that was messily tucked inside a bonnet. She was swarthy, bent at the back, but with a kind face. Sarah belatedly recognized her as May, the inn keeper's wife.

May came to sit next to Sarah, wrapping a woolen shawl around Sarah's shoulders as she did. "Sounds to me like you're fairy struck."

"Oh May!" The young woman said with exasperation. "Don't go telling stories."

But Sarah's interest was piqued. There was something soothing and familiar about listening to her accent. She stopped crying and tried to smile, "I don't mind, really. Go on."

May gave her the young woman a pointed look before turning back to Sarah, patting her with a wrinkled and spotted hand. "It's an old story, my dear, one we remember around these parts. The fairy kinds, known throughout the world by different names, are magical creatures. They dwell in another realm, but sometimes they visit our world. We humans are naturally attracted to their magic, for it is bright to our eyes. The fairy kind seem to glow, their magic illuminates the world around them. If they come into contact with us, it leaves a trace. Everything seems dreary when they leave, even on a sunny day. Nothing causes happiness, for everything is dull and grey. But the fairykind do not spend much time in our realm, and they always leave us wanting more."

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Just because someone is sad, doesn't mean they've been enchanted."

Sarah ignored the younger woman; instead she focused on May, whose grey eyes watched Sarah carefully. "You said they live in a different realm? Where is it? How do you get there?" The young woman muttered something about insanity and turned away, but May narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to Sarah.

"Finding the path can be tricky; the fairykind guard their secrets closely. Only those granted the power will be able to see."

"I was given that power," Sarah said instantly. She didn't know why she said it, but she also knew it to be true. Every word this old woman spoke gave Sarah hope. Sarah felt she was searching for something, she hadn't realized it until that moment, but there was something she needed to find.

May watched as Sarah seemed to transform before her eyes. Pink came to her pale lips and cheeks, her green eyes cleared and began to sparkle; even her long black hair began to shine. At first, May had merely been trying to cheer up a stranger, but now… "I can't tell you how to get Underground," she said softly. "But I heard once that mirrors were a portal through the worlds."

Sarah sat back, deep in thought. "Mirrors…" an image came to her mind, fuzzy an indistinct. It was hard to hold, but words unbidden came to her lips. "You have to say your right words."

May drew away from Sarah, concern turning into wonder. There was _power_ in those words, _real_ power. May was able to feel the air change as the words were spoken, and she realized quite suddenly that she was not sitting next to a normal woman. "Who _are_ you?"

Sarah looked down at her hands, "I don't know anymore." She paused, biting her lip, "but I don't belong here anymore, do I?"

May shook her head. "Be careful, dearie, be careful. Mortals can pay a terrible price for delving into the realm of the fairies." She stood, shook her head again, and quickly walked away, aware that as she did, her world grew duller the further she went from the green-eyed stranger.

* * *

**Well, sorry Grey Kindle, but you knew that was coming, right? Probably not what you were expecting though, was it?  
**

**I'll update again soon. Hope to hear from the readers. *Peers into cyberspace* I know you're out there.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Of course we know I don't own Labyrinth.**

**This chapter takes place at least a week after the last.  
**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 17 (_Obstruction_)**

* * *

Rumor reached Sophia that Jareth had returned to the Labyrinth. The goblins were a simple race. They adored their king, mostly because short of murder and outright chaos, Jareth kept them on a very loose leash. So when whispers came of goblins being staked on spikes outside the castle walls, Sophia was both intrigued and concerned. Though she was hesitant to intrude on Jareth and Sarah, a visit seemed warranted.

The first signs that something was wrong at the castle were subtle. All the decorations from the wedding were still up, but they were in disarray. The once vibrant silk ribbons were torn and hanging limply from the walls. The flowers were brown and withered, petals littered the ground. Numerous candle stands were tilted on their sides and the halls of the castle were eerily silent and dark. Sophia pulled her blue robes over her shoulders, noting a chill in the air. Frowning, she sought out the throne room. Upon entering, the large circular room seemed the same as ever, but the atmosphere was drastically different. The goblins were cowering in groups along the far stone walls. There was no laughing, no playing, and no talking. The little creatures seemed afraid to even acknowledge her, though a few brave eyes followed her as she moved into the room.

At first, Sophia could not believe the sight before her, and she blinked twice trying to make sense of the scene. There was someone sitting in the stone throne, but for the life of her, Sophia couldn't believe that it was _Jareth_. This man sat, feet draped over the side of the throne, riding crop in one hand, a goblet of wine in the other. He was dressed all in black, save a blood red cape that draped over one shoulder and onto the floor. Sophia was in shock. Jareth had always been thin, but now is cheekbones were unhealthily prominent, his skin was a ghastly shade of white, and the marks above his eyes were black. She inhaled a sharp breath and took an involuntary step back when Jareth's eyes snapped over to her.

"Well, if it isn't the Sister in Blue. Have you come to join my menagerie as well?"

Sophia frowned. Jareth's tone was all wrong. This was no light teasing; only a cold seriousness that caused Sophia to cross her arms defensively. Jareth laughed and the goblins were quick to echo, though they could not hide the nervousness in their voices. Words quickly formed and died away on her lips, numbed by the harsh gaze that Jareth cast her. Then, she began to wonder… "Jareth, where is Sarah?"

A grimace of pain distorted Jareth's features and he dropped his wine goblet as he clutched at his chest. The red wine spilled over the throne, blood red against white stone. Jareth leaned forward in apparent pain. "Sarah?" he whispered in agony. His eyes sought out Sophia's and she saw her old friend again as he reached out to her. "Sophia? I…I…"

The doors to the throne room slammed open, startling Sophia. She turned to the sound in time to see Heryah enter the room, wearing a green cotton dress that was too conservative for her. And she was using magic. Sophia frowned and she turned back to Jareth, about to ask a question, but the burning hate in Jareth's eyes stilled her tongue. He watched Heryah approach, eyes narrowed, lip curled in a snarl, and Heryah seemed oblivious to it all.

"You'll have to forgive my husband, Sophia," Heryah said as she stood beside Jareth. "He's been a little out of sorts lately."

"Your…husband?" Sophia repeated haltingly.

"Yes, you were at the wedding you know." Heryah smiled and made to touch Jareth's shoulder, but he grabbed her wrist, standing in the process.

"Do not touch me," he said through clinched teeth, twisting Heryah's arm with enough force to make her bend down. She gasped out, but did nothing. Sophia was amazed that her sister did not even try to defend herself with magic. Jareth glared at Heryah, but dropped her arm. He met Sophia's horrified eyes only briefly before he vanished from the room without saying another word.

Heryah rubbed her wrist as Sophia came closer. "What have you done?" Sophia accused harshly.

Heryah rolled her eyes as she straightened. "Nothing you need worry about, sister of mine."

"Nothing I need worry about?" Sophia vividly remembered the hatred burning in Jareth's eyes and she shuddered. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Everything is fine, Sophia," Heryah said as she stepped over the broken glass so she could lounge in the throne. "Jareth and I are just adjusting to the marriage."

"Marriage! What marriage?" Sophia approached her sister, angry and confused. "He married Sarah! Not you!"

"Don't say that name," hissed Heryah. "I don't want to hear that name. Jareth is _mine_, do you understand? _Mine_."

Sophia rocked back on her heels. "Oh, you are a fool. And you need to tell me what you have done." Heryah remained sullenly silent for a few moments before confessing to Sophia, who listened with unconcealed disgust. "You really have lost your mind, haven't you?" Sophia said after several minutes of speechlessness.

"Of course not," Heryah retorted. "I just removed some obstacles."

"People aren't obstacles!" Sophia said with exasperation.

"That is _all_ they are," Heryah answered, greed eyes flashing. "I did what I needed to do to make Jareth mine."

Sophia nodded and gestured around the room at the huddled, frightened goblins. "And is this how you planned it? Come now, Heryah, you have to know that Jareth is not himself. Can't you see the difference? Can't you _feel _the difference?" Sophia thought back to the moment when Jareth vanished from the room. There was a different quality to his magic. It was wild, untamed…and strong. "Don't you understand? Sarah was his humanity. By erasing her memory…" Sophia sighed, "There is nothing to keep him in control. You've created a monster."

"I've set him free," Heryah said defiantly.

"Free?" Sophia approached her sister and pulled up a sleeve, exposing several finger sized bruises up and down Heryah's arm. Heryah pulled back and Sophia shook her head in pity. "I love you, you are my sister, but nothing good can come from this."

Heryah sniffed, "My happiness?"

Sophia laughed. "Your happiness? Heryah you are blind." Sophia paused, shaking her head. "If he finds out what you've done, not all the magic in this word will save you from his wrath."

Heryah smiled slyly. "And that is why, dear sister, you will remain silent."

* * *

_Later in the evening..._

Cold. Jareth was cold. The chill reached his very core. Day or night, fire or no, he could not escape the iciness that surrounded him. When he was awake he did his best to tune out the cold. He busied himself with nothing and everything, trying to keep the chill away. But at night…night was a nightmare. Heryah's presence beside him provided no comfort, no warmth to his body or his soul. He didn't _want_ her, and that thought caused shivers down his spine. He also did not want to sleep, for he was always cast into a dreamland of shadows. So, he sat in his bed, several feet away from Heryah. A large fire roared in the fireplace, and Jareth slipped from his bed to sit before the fire, bare and naked and miserable.

The flickering orange, reds and yellows of the fire was mesmerizing, and despite himself, Jareth began falling into an uneasy slumber. The transition from waking to dreaming was sudden. Jareth found he was watching himself as if through a mirror. The reflection Jareth laughed easily and reached out to someone unseen, and oh how Jareth longed to see who that was. Some warmth returned to his body as he tried to see further into the dream. There! A flash of dark hair! Who? Who was he reaching for?

The dream abruptly changed and Jareth found he was in a familiar dream. The Labyrinth loomed before him, dark and shadowy, unwelcoming. A thick fog surrounded him, and the coldness returned with a vengeance. Jareth's teeth began to chatter, and he crossed his arms over his bare chest. The fog parted and Jareth was confronted with two paths, one leading left and one leading right. The fog made seeing down the paths impossible, and Jareth could not make a decision. Left or right? He didn't know, and he was cold. The weight of the freezing air pressed down on him, and he dropped to a knee. What would happen, he wondered numbly, if he just gave in? He dropped to another knee, the emptiness and fog oppressing him. Did he want to spend forever fighting against the cold? Was it worth it? He fell forward, one hand on the ground. Unbidden, a vision of long dark hair came to him, and some of the darkness and pressure lifted.

Jareth held onto that image and imagined the feel of the silky strands between his fingers and inhaled a deep breath, warmth flowing into him. The fog and cold began to slightly recede, the pressure eased and Jareth leaned back, resting on his knees, searching the emptiness around him. Somewhere…somewhere out there was hope. More warmth flowed into his body and a ghost of a familiar fragrance danced on the air. Jareth found himself standing with only one focus on his mind: he needed to find the one with black hair. He needed to find her soon, before the coldness destroyed him.

* * *

**The Queen of Water: Thank you.  
**

**Grey Kindle: I agree with you totally. It is very hard to feel sorry for Heryah.  
**

**I may update again today. Like I said, I need to get this over with so I can move on to other projects. lol.  
**

**See ya later!  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	18. Chapter 18

******So, again, things get a little dark... **

**The Highwayman**

******Chapter 18 (_Illuminations_)**

* * *

Hoggle was not inexperienced at surviving in the wilderness. Dwarves were hearty creatures to begin with; many learned how to mine by the time they could walk. Others learned how to hunt. Hoggle was a scrawny dwarf as a child, deemed too "delicate" for the mines, so into the woods he was sent. Compared to the forest near his home, the Crystal Forest was relatively safe. However, he was only armed with a butcher's knife to clear brush and a few pieces of bread to eat that he tucked inside a knapsack. The going was slow and rough. And it was impossible to keep his days and nights straight. The deeper he went into the forest, the denser the canopy became. The sun wasn't even visible now, and Hoggle was getting irritated by the forest's perpetual dusk.

Earlier in the day, Hoggle had heard the sounds of running water, and though it had taken the better part of the day to find it, Hoggle finally stumbled upon a quick moving stream. He dropped his pack and knife and thirstily slurped down the cool water, dipping his entire head under the surface. Finally satiated, and a little water logged, Hoggle collapsed exhausted next to the stream. He'd make it back to the castle, he swore he would, but right now he felt like it make take him years.

He lay there for a while, listening to the leaves chime and the insects chirp and the water bubble, catching his breath and resting his feet. After a while, he began gathering firewood, believing the river a good place to rest for the night. So, next to a warm crackling fire, and a piece of bread in his stomach, Hoggle stretched out on the forest floor, sleep soon claiming him.

Sometime during his sleep, a voice echoed throughout the forest. "Hello?"

Hoggle sat straight up, searching the forest around him. He wasn't sure, but he could have sword he heard a voice. He looked left and then right, unsure whether he had been dreaming.

"Hello?"

Now Hoggle was sure he heard it. He stumbled to his feet. The voice was strangely distorted, like it was coming from far away.

"Is anyone there?"

The words were hard to hear, but Hoggle knew he wasn't dreaming now.

He frowned. That voice sounded like it was coming from the stream. And unless he had lost his mind, he recognized that voice. He raced to the water's edge. "Sarah? Sarah, is that you?" The water was moving too fast! That is why mirrors were used; the surface needed to be smooth and still. He frantically searched for a pool, or a shallow, anything. A small pool to his left would have to do. The water was still flowing, his reflection was blurring, but it was better than the fast moving stream. He leaned forward. "Sarah!" The water rippled and just for a split second Hoggle saw Sarah's surprised face, and then the image was gone. "No!" He cried pounding the ground. No! He knew the connection was gone, he could sense it. He sat back, staring forlornly at the water. At least she was alive, he tried reassuring himself. He rubbed his arms, deep in in thought. If Sarah was using a mirror, then that meant only one thing… His eyes moved upward on their own accord. That meant Sarah was no longer in the Underground.

* * *

Sarah stumbled backward, dropping the small hand mirror in the process where it shattered into pieces once it hit the floor. Sarah's mind was blank, her heart beating hard and fast in her chest. There had been a face in the mirror…there had been a face in the mirror! And it had called her by name! This was insane! The face hadn't even looked human; it was too large and too wrinkled, but still, she had seen it. Hadn't she?

Derrick poked his head into the bathroom. "You alright, Sarah?"

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." She placed a false smile on her lips. "I dropped the mirror though. Can you find a broom?"

For a moment Derrick said nothing, only shifted uncomfortably. Then he nodded. "Sure, sure. Don't move, I don't want you cutting yourself."

Sarah watched as he left, and then stared down at the broken pieces of glass around her feet. She had been so close…so close…

* * *

A cold hand woke Jareth from his uneasy slumber. The fire had burnt out, nothing but red embers remained. He turned to see Heryah leaning next to him, draping a robe around his back. She was smiling, her green eyes drowsy, and her blond hair falling down her back in loose curls. Blond…not brown. For some reason, that resonated with him. Jareth frowned as he reached for Heryah's hair, running it through his fingers. It was coarse, not silky smooth. Blond, not brown. He dropped the hair and shrugged away from Heryah, standing and glaring at her accusingly. "It's wrong, isn't it?" Jareth shook his head as he pulled the robe around his body. "Who is the one with dark hair? Where is _she_?"

Heryah tried to conceal her worry by turning away. "My love, you must have been dreaming." And he must be stronger than she thought. The spell she used to remove his memory was mixed with blood. No traces of Sarah or Bess should be left for him to remember, even in his dreams. But Heryah had a backup plan. She moved toward their wet bar and poured Jareth some brandy, secretly adding a concoction. She handed the glass to him, and he accepted, but there was suspicion burning in his mismatched eyes.

"Maybe it was a dream, but I think not. And I think Sophia knows who she is. Does the name Sarah mean anything to you?" Jareth held the brandy and examined Heryah carefully. The Green Sister was careful not to give much away in her face, but Jareth noted the slight widening of her pupils. Heryah was hiding something from him. "Why don't you just tell me, my dear?"

Heryah laughed. "There's nothing to tell. Come back to bed, Jareth. Finish your drink and sleep." Heryah turned away and walked to the bed, dropping her robe in the process.

Jareth averted his gaze and stared into the brandy. He did not _want_ Heryah, he wanted the dark haired woman, and if Heryah would not tell him, then Sophia would. With new determination, he swallowed the brandy in one gulp. A mere second went by and Jareth knew something was wrong. The room began to spin around him; he dropped the glass and clutched the chair before him. This had happened before. He had been somewhere else. Sarah had been there. Sarah! A pain filled his chest and he choked, coughing and sputtering. Then the images were gone, like mist evaporated by the sun. He tried to cling to the memories…memories…of who? Of what? He looked up to see Heryah smiling. "What have you done?" he asked, voice shaking.

"Come to bed, my love. It's chilly." She ignored his question completely.

Chilly? He thought darkly, yes, it was chilly. Ice was forming around his heart, around his soul. He exhaled and his breath came out in a white mist. Jareth glanced down at the broken glass at his feet and picked up a shard. "You've done something, haven't you?" The temperature in the room dropped as Jareth approached Heryah.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Heryah said quickly, too fast.

"Don't lie to me," Jareth hissed as he closed the distance between them. He grabbed Heryah's arm and pushed her back onto the bed. He trailed the broken glass down her stomach. "You will tell me." He pressed the shard into her flesh, watching in satisfaction as a small red cut appeared. Heryah lashed out with her magic, catching Jareth off guard. He felt his eyebrow where a small cut was forming, and when he took his hand away there was blood on his fingertips. With the same hand he reached for Heryah's throat, leaning into her as he squeezed. "The next time you use magic against me, will be your last. Do you understand?"

Heryah froze, and for the first time in her entire existence feared for her life. She blinked once and saw the creature before her. This was _not_ her Jareth. There was no teasing in his eyes. This was someone else, whose eyes were frozen, whose marks were black ebony, whose entire body was cold as ice. This creature was stronger than she was, and she was afraid. She managed to nod once, never taking her eyes away from Jareth's face.

Jareth pressed his weight into Heryah. He had her in complete submission, and he would take her like that too. After all, she _was_ his wife.

* * *

**So, hmm. Sarah is getting closer...and Jareth...well, we'll have to wait and see about him.  
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**Thank you for the wonderful reviews.  
**

**drummerchick66: Oh so close, huh?  
**

**I hope this was soon enough ;) I'm going on a small vacation tomorrow. If I have WIFI I'll post again tomorrow.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Labyrinth, except I do own the Three Sisters and Derrick Scott...but lets keep that on the down low...**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 19 (_Revelations_)**

* * *

England's weather was beginning to live up to its reputation. The sky was covered by heavy grey clouds, a light, but steady rain fell down upon Sarah as she rushed out of the inn and down toward the market. The roads were all but empty, even though the sun had barely set. Sarah had a crazy idea, and it involved May, the innkeeper's wife. Sarah had watched May walk back to her small home earlier in the day as she had switched shifts with her husband. And now, Sarah would seek May out. She needed to find how to get back to the place she called the Underground, and fast. There was a sense of urgency pushing her on; she didn't know why, but she felt she was running out of time.

The small home was on the outskirts of the village and market, and was easy to find. There were lights on inside, so Sarah huddled under the small awning as she knocked on the door. There was no answer. "Hello?" She called out quietly. Her clothes were damp and cold and she began to shiver on the doorstep. "May, it's me, Sarah. I…I need your help." She waited a few more minutes before knocking harder on the door. "Please!" She cried, but there was still no answer. It wasn't fair! She was so close, she _knew_ she was. Defeated, Sarah leaned against the house, eyes shut. "It's not fair," she repeated aloud, voice low and dejected."

"You say that so often," said a ghost of a voice. It had floated in on the wind, echoing around her, not quite tangible, but Sarah heard. Her eyes shot open and she searched the greyness around her. That voice! She _knew_ that voice…but from where? Trying to hold on to the thought was like keeping water in a sieve. All her ideas slipped from her mind as soon as she had them, but she knew one thing with absolute certainty: she _knew_ that voice.

The door opened beside her suddenly, casting warm yellow light out into grey evening. May peered outside, wringing her gnarled hands. She gave Sarah a glance and nodded, "Get inside, you'll catch cold."

Sarah made to obey, but paused as the old woman continued to search the empty air. "You heard it too, didn't you?" Sarah allowed herself to be ushered inside as the old lady wordlessly closed the door and pushed her to stand by the fire. "I'm sorry for coming here, but I need your help." Still, there was no answer from May. The old lady just handed her a towel and a steaming cup of tea. Sarah accepted them with a sigh and began toweling some of the rain off her hair. May sat in a nearby chair, holding a cup of tea and staring intently at Sarah. It was unnerving the way those grey eyes scrutinized her, unblinking and unyielding. The fire was warming her body, but Sarah was not soothed. "I saw something in a mirror," she began again. This time May's eyes widened and Sarah continued. "It looked like a man, but its head was too big, and it was wrinkled." Sarah bit her lip, "I think it called me by name."

May shook her head. "I warned you to be careful. Nothing good can come from this."

"No," Sarah threw down her towel and tea and came to kneel at the old lady's legs. "I don't belong here, you know I don't. Please. You were right. This world holds no joy for me. But for a moment when I saw that face, and just now when I heard that voice, I was happy again. This other place, this Underground, it calls to me, and I need to go back."

A wrinkled hand rested on Sarah's shoulder, and May gave her a sad look. "Only those who know the way can find the way back."

Sarah frowned. "But I don't."

"But you _used_ to know, now, didn't you?"

Sarah sighed and rested her head on the woman's lap, suddenly very tired. "Then why can't I remember?"

"Hmm, that is the question. Let me see your hand, child." Sarah lifted her head and placed her hand on May's lap. At first, the woman just examined the slender palm, glancing back and forth, lightly humming. Then, quick as lightning, May pierced her palm with a sewing pin. Sarah gasped and pulled her hand back, surprised and feeling slightly betrayed. She was about to speak, but May halted her with a look. "Let me see your hand," she said sternly. Sarah frowned, but did as she was told, wincing as May pressed her palm so blood would come. With a finger, May gingerly touched a small drop of blood and put it into her mouth, instantly spitting it out. "You've been bespelled, and by someone very powerful."

Sarah retrieved her hand. "Bespelled?"

May stood and walked down the hall, speaking over her shoulder. "Nasty thing, blood magic. Strong and weak in its own way."

Sarah sat back on the ground near the fire, watching as the old lady moved around the house, bringing armloads of jars into the room. Most of the clear jars held dried plants, but a few held questionable items which caused Sarah to look away. "Are you a witch?" Suddenly Sarah was filled with apprehension.

May laughed as she stopped before Sarah, a twinkle in her grey eyes. "Child, I am going to try and help you. Does it matter what I am?"

Sarah shook her head. "When you put it that way, no, no it doesn't."

"Good." May began mixing herbs and strange liquids into a mixing bowl, humming under her breath. Sarah wrinkled her nose. The fumes were pungent and her eyes were beginning to water. Time passed slowly. Sarah began to pace, always watching May add ingredient after strange ingredient. "Come over here," May said quietly, and Sarah obeyed. She never saw the flashing silver of the blade slash down, but suddenly a crimson flow of blood came streaming down her arm. Sarah gasped and tried to put pressure on the cut, recoiling away from the knife yielding woman. The blade had been so sharp, Sarah never even felt the cut, but now her arm was throbbing. May sighed. "The potion needs your blood to work. Drip into the bowl please, not on the carpet." Sarah hesitated and so May pointed the bloody knife at her. "You came to me for help, and I _am_ helping, but you must do your part as well."

Sarah sighed and edged closer to the bowl. Crazy or not, she was too involved now not to follow through. She held her arm over the strange concoction and let her blood drip into the bowl. When May nodded in satisfaction, Sarah used the discarded towel to stem the flow. Wordlessly, May stirred the mixture and poured it into a tall goblet of polished bone. She picked up tongs and found one hot ember from the fireplace, dropping it into the goblet. The liquid sizzled hot and the woman shoved the goblet into Sarah's hands. "Drink it!" She commanded.

"Are you crazy?" The heat was seeping through the goblet and into Sarah's hands. There was no way she was drinking that!

"Now," May urged, "While it is potent!"

Sarah swallowed nervously. If this was what it took, then so be it. She raised the goblet to her lips and with closed eyes drank down the contents. Strangely, though hot, the liquid did not burn her mouth or throat. She drank down to the dregs, and placed the goblet in the May's outstretched hands. "Now what?" She asked.

"Now we wait," May replied as she led Sarah over to a chair.

The words "for what" never made it from Sarah's lips. Barely had she sat in the chair before the room began to spin. She tried to close her eyes, but it didn't help. The world lurched around her, left then right. She felt tossed like a ship at sea. Then the pain came to her chest. She doubled over, falling from the chair, her shoulder hitting the ground and taking the brunt of the fall. Her entire body felt on fire and she writhed on the floor, eyes open, but she was silent. The pain began to ebb and Sarah lie face up on the floor, her legs curled to the side, her chest rising and falling in short, shallow gaps. Then the visions came; one after another, assaulting not only her senses, but her body as well. At first the images were too chaotic, too fragmented to make any sense and Sarah cringed away, trying to hide from the sight.

"You wanted to see, so see!" May cried out to her.

Sarah focused her eyes and let the images wash over her. Wave after wave, she began to relieve forgotten memories. She remembered Bess first, crying out as that fatal gunshot shattered her breast in the moonlight. She remembered Hoggle and Didymus and Ludo. She remembered stupidly wishing her brother away and traversing the Labyrinth. But something was missing. No, _someone_ was missing. Images flooded her mind; images of mismatched blue eyes, teasing her, taunting her. There was blond hair and dancing, soft touches in the moonlight. But the face was obscured, out of focus. Who? Who was this? Then the world began to spin again and a familiar melody filled the air. Sarah remembered this song. He sang it to her. There was a ball…and she was dancing. There were masks and someone was singing to her a sad love song.

"But I'll be there for you," his voice held so much longing and Sarah's heart ached.

Sarah finished the verse, "As the world falls down…" and as she did, the man's face came into focus, into instant recognition. She bolted upright and shouted. "Jareth!"

* * *

Jareth was dreaming, and in the dream he was in a magnificent ballroom. A masque was taking place. Men and women were dancing and fraternizing with one another, their faces obscured by grotesque masks that resembled his goblins. Music filled the air and the bodies in the room swayed around him, but he stood still. In the midst of the bodies, he remained motionless, searching the crowd. He did not know exactly who he was looking for, but he knew she was out there: the woman with brown hair. After a few moments, he could not stand idle. He moved past the masqueraders, brushing off advances, but smirking at some of the invitations. Jareth was no stranger to the debauchery surrounding him, but he ignored them all. Instead, he focused on his search. The tail of a white dress caught his eye, but as he moved forward, a woman blocked his path, whispering snidely, "She's too good for you," in his ear.

And Jareth agreed. Whoever he was searching for, _was_ too good for him. He knew that deep inside his soul, but he still needed to find her. The crowd parted around him, and Jareth saw a woman dressed in white on the other side of the room. She was turned away from him, he could not see her face, but his heart sped up just looking upon her. He was reaching for her, but she moved further away. The room began to fade into darkness and Jareth tried to step closer. The ballroom was vanishing into nothingness; the masquerade was ending. From somewhere in the distance a clock struck the hour and the chimes echoed through the emptiness. The woman in white was so far from him now, he could barely see her. Despair filled his heart; if she left, then there would be nothing for him to hold onto, nothing to hope for.

His hand was still reaching for her and words unbidden came to him, with a melody that haunted him, "But I'll be there for you," he sang out to her.

The woman slowly turned around, "As the world falls down." She was facing him, but her face was hidden in shadow as she shouted out to him: "Jareth!"

The dream was shattered and Jareth was thrown back into reality. He sat up abruptly, the woman's voice echoing in his mind. He had been so close! So close… His chest ached and he leaned against his headboard trying to push the despair and longing away. He couldn't let it control him, he couldn't. Heryah slept beside him, new bruises forming on her neck and Jareth shuddered, looking down at his hands in disgust.

He couldn't remember now what had angered him so, but he remembered taking it out on Heryah. This couldn't continue, he thought with a sigh. Yesterday he had killed two of his goblins for failing to laugh at a joke, and a bad joke at that. But he had taken their heads there in the throne room regardless. Their screams still echoed in his memory and again he glared down at his hands. He knew he had done that, had even enjoyed it at the moment, but now he could not understand why. As the morning sun rose, Jareth felt confused and torn. He was tired of fighting the darkness that chased him endlessly, whether he was sleeping or awake. It would be so easy to stop running and just let that darkness take him over. He lifted a hand to his eyelids, knowing that they were black. He was beginning to welcome the icy coldness that always threatened to consume him. Being cold and feeling nothing was better than always searching and longing for a phantom. And yet he fought. He looked down at Heryah's throat and closed his eyes against the sight of her bruises. He may occasionally lose the battle, but he still fought. But he didn't know how much longer he could fight, not without help, not without hope. Jareth opened his eyes, the bright morning light blinding him, but he did not look away. The woman in white… the brown haired woman, she gave him hope. And he needed to find her before he lost all his resolve.

* * *

**Yay WIFI! I love the beach, just to let you guys know.  
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**Ok, I really appreciate the comments! Keep 'em coming.**

**Taohippie: Look at that, _two_ chapters for you.  
**

**Pan's Box: Thank you! You know what's really perverted? Heryah actually likes it...sometimes...lol.  
**

**The Queen of Water: I'm so glad you enjoy this.  
**

**Darling Empress: I love this poem too. And it kept _you_ awake? Lol. You have no idea how many deadlines I nearly missed writing this!...Actually I'm supposed to be doing work right now...oops...  
**

**fairychick10: And here's some more :-)  
**

**Thanks everyone! Have a good Friday.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**The Highwayman**

******Chapter 20 (_Conversations_)**

* * *

The natural hot springs of Undar were famous throughout the Underground. Nestled high on a dormant volcano, the spring offered a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. And yet, for their entire splendor, the springs were rarely visited. Some ten centuries ago a horde of dragons discovered that if they built their liars into the mountain, the stone would always keep their nests warm. So now, day in and day out, dragons were seen flying to and from the mountain. Though the Underground was home to many powerful and magical creatures, most kept a healthy respect and distance from Undar.

However, not all creatures stayed away. Temanna found the springs soothing and the isolation suited her. Dragons could be seen often flying overhead, their wings sounding like leather as they winged through the air. Temanna soaked in the hot water, the roiling boil covering her nakedness. The heat never bothered her and she leaned her head on the grassy bank admiring the dragons as they danced on high.

Too soon her solitude was broken. Temanna sensed Sophia's presence, even though her eyes still focused on the dragons. "Hello, Sophia. This must be dire if you'd seek me out here."

Sophia sighed and eased her bare feet into the water, holding her robes so they wouldn't get wet. "That would be putting it mildly," she said quietly.

"Oh?" Temanna straightened her neck, scrutinizing her sister's worried face. "Did Heryah do something stupid?"

"Very."

"Do tell." And so Sophia told Temanna that Heryah was living in the castle as Jareth's bride, that she had cast a spell on Jareth and Sarah, and that she had sent Sarah back Above. She told Heryah how Jareth's behavior was different, and how he was killing his subjects and abusing their sister. Temanna scoffed at that. "I cannot see Heryah allowing Jareth to harm her."

Sophia bit her lip, "You didn't see him, Temanna. He has become strong."

Temanna shook her head, disbelieving. "Stronger than us? Surely not." Sophia rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward, worry causing her brows to furrow. "I know that look," Temanna said pointing a finger at her sister. "What are you planning?"

"I don't know." Sophia was rewarded with an unbelieving stare from her sister and she took a deep breath. "Temanna, this can't be right. All Jareth ever wanted was to be reunited with Bess, with his love. We promised that to him."

"And last I checked, it was also delivered," Temanna crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her amber eyes. "I don't remember promising him a "happy-ever-after". That is the saying, right?"

Sophia's mouth dropped open. "How can you be so _heartless_?"

Temanna rolled her eyes. She loved Sophia, but her dear sister worried too much about everything. "Just give it time, Sophia. Time resolves everything."

"A mortal does not have eternity, sister."

"So it would seem," Temanna shrugged, "but then, that too is a resolution."

"Temanna!" Sophia cried out in shock.

Temanna dunked her head under the hot water briefly before swimming closer to Sophia. She hadn't meant to upset Sophia, in all honesty she loved her sister, and the raw emotion in Sophia's voice was starting to concern her. Still, these were not her concerns. Temanna was generally an observer, not an involver. With a sigh, she glanced up at her sister, feeling slightly ashamed. "What would you have me do?"

"Help me find Sarah and bring her back." Sophia said instantly, her blue eyes brightening at the thought of Temanna's help. "Maybe not all hope is lost."

Temanna was silent, deep in thought. A part of her agreed with Sophia that Heryah had gone too far. Using blood magic to perform a spell was barbaric and desperate. But if Heryah wanted Jareth so badly, who were they to interfere? Of course, he had chosen another…and didn't Sarah deserve a say in the matter? Jareth was a close friend of Temanna's. Did his happiness matter? Hadn't she been the one that encouraged him to seek out Sarah that day in the throne room? Damn, she thought internally. Maybe she was already involved. Temanna looked up and met her sister's hopeful gaze and sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this, but let's go find Sarah."

* * *

Derrick Scott woke up to an empty bed and a dark room. The rain was still falling outside, the drops the only sounds besides his breathing. The clock read 4:45 a.m. and Derrick rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he climbed out of bed, in search of Sarah. He was worried about her. It would take a blind man not to see the sorrow in her green eyes. Sarah used to laugh so easily, but now she always looked away from him. He could see how she looked to the distance, searching for something. And the guilt was eating Derrick up inside. Several times now he almost blurted out the whole story, and yet, he always stopped short. He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the feel of Sarah next to him in bed. He wanted to keep her close and kept assuring himself that the old Sarah would return to him. Never did it occur to Derrick that she had never _been_ his.

Drowsy, but quickly rousing, Derrick made his way to the living quarters of their hotel suite. He was startled to see Sarah siting in a large chair. A single lamp was on, casting odd shadows onto her features. She was twirling some small object in her fingers, but Derrick was too far to see what it was. And the way Sarah fixated on him with her green eyes made him hesitant to move forward. Sarah's legs were crossed and she was leaning forward, watching him with unblinking eyes. He swallowed nervously, "Are you alright, Sarah?"

Sarah smirked and Derrick cringed. That smirk reminded him of someone he'd rather forget. "Tell me, Derrick, how did our wedding go again?" Derrick's eyebrows shot up and he sat hard in a nearby chair. "I must have been so overwhelmed; I can't seem to remember a thing." Derrick remained silent, unsure what to say. Sarah paused twirling the object in her hand and handed it out to him. "And this lovely ring? I seem to remember returning it to you."

"Sarah, you don't understand," Derrick stammered, eyes wide and afraid.

"I don't understand?" Sarah threw the ring onto the ground. "What don't I understand Derrick? That you helped Heryah kidnap me? That you obviously went along with this fallacy?" Derrick watched as she shuddered. "That you slept with me?" Her voice dripped with disgust. "Come on now, what am I not 'understanding'?"

"Sarah please," Derrick said moving toward her, "I love you." He tried to reach out to her, but she scrambled out of the chair and away from him, always away from him.

"Don't touch me." Her green eyes were cold and cruel. Derrick had never seen such loathing before and it pained him to have it directed at him.

"Maybe it was wrong, Sarah, but that woman in green…she said she would just kill you if I didn't agree. I couldn't let that happen!" He pleaded. "I thought, 'We were happy once, we could be happy again.'."

"But at what cost?" They stared at each other, the tension in the room making it hard to even breathe. Sarah crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, glaring at Derrick. "I'm going back, Derrick. And when I do, I'm telling Jareth of your role in all of this, and I doubt he'll 'understand' any better than I do." She approached him, pointing to a nearby mantle clock. "Time is short, and you better make your peace." And then she walked away, always away.

Derrick let his eyes linger on her for just a moment before he returned to the clock, the tick-tock suddenly deafening as it counted down the remaining hours of his life.

* * *

**Thank you for the reviews everyone, and to everyone who is following and getting updates.  
**

**Pan's Box: You have no idea. I actually started this back in December.  
**

**So, we're moving right along. This _is _going somewhere. ;-) See ya in a few, or tomorrow...just depends...  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**And here we go!**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 21 (_Acquaintances_)**

* * *

Hoggle stretched out on the forest floor, trying to wake from sleep. His trek through the forest had come to a complete standstill since he had glimpsed Sarah's image in the river. Instead, he began to backtrack to the cabin. There was a full length mirror there. If he had any chance of reconnecting with the Above realm, it would be with that mirror. Jareth had enchanted it for Sarah so she could talk with her family, and Hoggle fervently hoped the connection was still open. However, his short legs made the going slow. If he tried to increase the pace his legs cramped in pain, halting his process completely. In a dwarf's case, slowly yet surely was the way to go. He rummaged through his pack, grabbing the heel of bread for breakfast and began to eat silently. The Crystal Forest was chiming beautiful melodies, the light breeze a welcome relief from the constant humidity. And as he ate, a whisper of a voice reached his ears, carried on the wind. Hoggle put his bread down and swallowed hastily, straining his ears. Please, please don't let me be imagining things, he prayed silently.

"Hoggle!"

The voice was faint and distorted by the forest, but that was definitely Sarah's voice. Hoggle scrambled from the ground, quickly shoving his belongings in his bag and set off towards the cabin. "I'm coming Sarah!" He pushed his legs as fast as they could go, ignoring the pain. He would find Sarah, his first and truest friend, his queen. His legs were soon feeling like lead, and he was panting, but the forest was thinning. Soon he would be at the cabin. Soon!

Hoggle crashed through the underbrush and into the clearing, gathering enough air into his tired lungs to holler, "Sarah!" moments before exhaustion forced him to black out. He didn't know how long he was unconscious, but when he opened his eyes he was greeted in a warm embrace.

"Oh, Hoggle! Are you ok?" Sarah was hugging him tightly, but he managed to sit up. Somehow, he had woken up in a bed…and in the cabin.

"I'm a little sore, nothing else." He looked upon her, happy to see that she was unhurt. "Where have you been, Sarah!" And then he looked around, fully expecting to see his king. "And where's Jareth? He's not with you?"

Sarah gave Hoggle a little space and pulled over a chair to the side of the bed. She told him how she had woken in the middle of the night only to be assaulted, bespelled and then kidnapped by Heryah. "And I have a pretty good guess where Jareth might be, but he's not answering any of my calls." She paused, biting her bottom lip. "You don't think Heryah made him forget too, do you?"

Hoggle harrumphed as he climbed out of the bed. "There's very little I'd put past the Green Sister, or any of them really. They aren't like us, Sarah. They only follow rules when they are convenient to them."

"I don't care about them. Any of them." Determination set into Sarah's mouth and eyes. "All I care about is finding Jareth. He needs me, Hoggle." She took a deep breath. "We're going back. I'm not losing him." Her fists clinched, "Not ever again."

* * *

Temanna and Sophia appeared in a small market clearing from thin air, red and blue sparkles fading away. Raindrops fell steadily and Temanna pulled a deep red hood over her bright curly hair. She gave Sophia a sour look, but Sophia paid her no mind as she mimicked the motion of putting a blue hood over her brown hair. They were Above and it was dark outside. No one seemed to be moving about. Temanna gazed around her, amber eyes searching the old buildings and the cobbled road.

"I haven't been Above in centuries…and it doesn't look like much has changed." She sighed. "Are you sure we've come to the right place?"

Sophia shook her head. They had done their best to retrace Heryah's magic, but too much time had passed to be sure. And yet, Sophia sensed strong energy in this sleepy village. Someone had recently used magic; the residue tingled up and down her spine. Even if this lead did not point the way to Sarah, Sophia was intrigued. She gestured to Temanna to follow and together they walked down the street, not bothering to use magic to keep the rain away from their bodies. As they neared a small house, Temanna reached out and grabbed Sophia's elbow.

"Wait, stop. Do you feel that?" She asked as she looked upon the house with wide eyes. Sophia did not answer, there was no need. The magical energy surrounding the house was nearly palatable. There was a familiarity to the magic that Sophia could not understand. Both sisters looked upon the house with curiosity. When the door opened, Temanna and Sophia straightened and waited. And old woman, with greying curly hair and piercing grey eyes stepped over the threshold and both sisters dropped to their knees immediately, hands over their hearts in a silent salute.

"Stand up, children, and come inside." The woman commanded, and the sisters obeyed unquestioningly. Temanna and Sophia moved in unison, too in awe to speak, and too overwhelmed to approach. The woman clicked her tongue at them and began to speak in a language long since faded from the Above. "You have come a long way, and why? Are you searching for someone?"

"Máthair bródúil, we seek a mortal girl named Sarah," Sophia said honestly and respectfully. There was no point in lying or deceiving the being before her.

"And what shall you do with her, once you find her?" The old woman asked as her grey eyes narrowed.

Temanna stepped forward. "We will return her to where she belongs."

The old woman gazed upon the sisters with focused, unblinking eyes. Neither sister looked away; they remained eye contact and did not move. "You have shamed me," she said suddenly as she turned away. Temanna and Sophia dropped their heads.

"Máthair, please. We seek to right the wrongs done," Sophia said pleading. "We shall return Sarah to Jareth, I swear it."

"And I swear it," Temanna echoed quickly.

Slowly, deliberately, the old woman turned back to them, pointing with gnarled, wrinkled hands. "You will be too late," she said sadly. Temanna and Sophia exchanged worried glances. "Go children," the old woman said. "The mortal Sarah has returned Underground. Go and aide her, for balance rests upon her now." Temanna and Sophia dropped to their knees again before vanishing from the room.

May watched as the red and blue orbs of light faded. Her grey eyes looked up, through her ceiling and into the heavens. "Ádh mór ort, Leanaí."

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**Ok, next chapter: Jareth. Need I say more?  
**

**Have a good day everyone! I'm going wine tasting!  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	22. Chapter 22

******Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth, though I do own that b*tch Heryah.**

**Enjoy!  
**

**The Highwayman**

******Chapter 22 (_Obfuscation_)**

* * *

Jareth paced the halls of the castle. Dressed all in black and not caring to light any torches, he passed through the corridors like a shadow. Even his usually blond hair was tinted with black streaks, only his skin remained alabaster white. He was unsure why he was prowling the halls, only that he needed to search for something. And he was tired. Nights held no rest for him. The dark haired woman called out to him night after night, and still he was unable to reach her or see her. Sleep was becoming an unendurable torture. Of course, being awake wasn't proving much better. Heryah sported a new black eye. Jareth didn't remember causing it, but knew his fist must have inflicted it. In all honesty, his "wife" was now keeping her distance, for which Jareth was grateful. And all his goblins walked on tiptoe around him. Fewer every day came to serve in his private wing, and the throne room was all but abandoned. They feared him, like they never had before. Jareth was both saddened and pleased by this new development.

But now he was alone, roaming his castle in solitude. In short time he came to an old, abandoned ballroom. It didn't resemble his dream, but for some reason (despite the dust and cobwebs collecting en masse) the room comforted him. As he entered, a few torches blazed to life, and Jareth inspected the room. Though obviously in disuse, there was a beautiful room under the gloom. The walls were golden with mirrors, the floor was polished wood, crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and off to one corner there was the outline of a piano hidden beneath a sheet.

Jareth made his way to the piano, pulling off the sheet to reveal the ebony grand. Surprisingly, the piano was still in tune, he discovered as he trailed his fingers down the keys. Jareth did not remember ever playing on this piano. He sat on the bench, eyes closing as he played a few chords. Even with his eyes shut, his fingers knew the keys, and slowly, haltingly at first, a familiar melody began to fill the room. In his mind's eye, he saw his dream ballroom. He saw all the people dancing, and he saw the woman in white. The song had been for her, he knew that, and he would know her, if only he could see her face.

He continued to play, adding the vocals as he remembered. The music had a calming effect on Jareth. His magic reached out on its own accord, transforming the forgotten ballroom back into splendor. His dark clothes melted away, revealing a handsome outfit complete with a blue, jeweled frock. The old ballroom of his dream, that had been an illusion, he remembered suddenly. It had been a trick to keep her from remembering her quest. But every word he had sung to her had been true, every note. He would be there for her, as the world fell down. Sarah!

The song ended abruptly as Jareth opened his eyes, his pupils wide. Some memories came back to him, but fragmented and piecemeal. He remembered Bess…no…Sarah…no…He shook his head furiously. What had happened? So many memories were gone, blurred, obscured. But it was enough that he remembered Sarah! Soft clapping caught his attention, and ever so slowly Jareth turned his body toward the sound. Heryah came into the room, shining in an emerald gown, her blond hair piled atop her head. She made her way to him, and for the first time, Jareth really looked at the ring on Heryah's finger. His stomach dropped and his skin went cold. That ring belonged to another.

Somehow his rage was suppressed as he reached out for Heryah, lightly capturing her hand in his. Casually, he slipped the ring off and looked deep into her eyes. "If I were to say to you, 'Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered', how would you reply?"

Heryah smiled, oblivious to the rage boiling under his surface. "I'd say you're crazy," and then she laughed softly.

Jareth gave her a knowing glance and brought the jeweled rose ring up for closer inspection. Some of his memories were still fragmented and fuzzy, but he had a very clear image of placing this ring on Sarah's hand, not Heryah's. His eyes snapped toward the Green Sister, causing her to flinch back and Jareth sneered. "My dear, I don't believe this belongs to you," he said holding the ring out to her, but out of her reach.

She tried to laugh, but the sound faltered. "I don't know what you're talking about," but Jareth noticed her voice was shaking and her eyes flitted to the exit.

"Hmm," he said, not moving his eyes from her. "Let's try again, shall we? You are going to tell me where Sarah is."

Heryah paled, but managed to stay defiant and cool as she placed her hands on her hips. "Sarah who?"

Jareth's patience snapped. A strong wind began to swirl through the ballroom, knocking chandeliers to the floor and slamming the doors shut. He rounded on Heryah, anger in his eyes. "Stop lying to me, Heryah. Stop lying! I want to know what you've done."

With a sneer and a glare Heryah stood her ground as the wind buffeted against her. "All this for a human girl? She's nothing, Jareth. Nothing compared to me and what I can give you. Nothing."

Fury enraged Jareth and he grabbed Heryah by the throat, lifting until only her toes brushed the ground. "She is everything." His voice was deep and low with a sinister growl, his eyes darkened until the blue was nearly black. "And you will return her to me or I will destroy you." The air became charged around them, lightning bolts struck the ballroom floor from the ceiling, leaving scorched black wood in its wake.

Heryah grasped Jareth's wrists and inhaled a deep breath. "Go ahead, Goblin King, destroy me, if you can. I still won't bring your precious Sarah back from the mortal hell where I sent her." Heryah had meant to provoke Jareth. She had hoped to distract him long enough for her to escape, but as soon as the words left her mouth she knew she had gone too far.

Jareth dropped Heryah to the ground and stumbled back, clinging to the piano, Heryah's words crashing through his body and soul. Sarah was gone…Sarah was gone…Sarah…Sarah…Pain filled his heart, a searing pain unlike any he had experienced. It burned through him, consumed him, until he could bear it no longer. He drew in a breath and released all the pain, anger, rage, and loss into a cry.

Heryah covered her ears. The keen emanating from Jareth was inhuman. She not only heard the despair, but felt it too. The waves of black sorrow washed over her, so strong they pinned her to the ground. There was nothing she could do to stop the onslaught, and a single sob of sorrow escaped from her. The wind sped up into a torrent, roaring in her ears, but not loud enough to block out Jareth's lament. She managed to struggle against the weight of the despair and catch a glimpse of the man she sought out to make her own. He was hovering in the air. Shadows were merging with him, transforming him before her very eyes. Black spread through his hair like spilled ink, blotting out all traces of the once luminous blond mane. Ebony ribbons wrapped around his body, leaving him in a suit of onyx armor that seemed to suck in the light around him. The transformation was completed when a cloak of raven's feathers appeared from his shoulder pauldrons.

The wind died down as Jareth's cry ended, leaving the room in a deathly quiet. Heryah kept her eyes on Jareth. He was still floating in the air, eyes closed and unmoving. He looked unnatural all in black, and Heryah would be a fool not to recognize the sheer amount of raw power that was emanating from him. She had never felt so much magic before. He was stronger than she was, stronger than all of the Three Sisters combined. And Heryah was afraid. Panic set in. Her eyes moved toward the doors and Heryah tried to magic herself away, but the spell did not work. She was frozen to the spot. Her breathing sped up and she slowly lifted her eyes, feeling a heavy gaze upon her.

Jareth was staring down at her, the blue of his eyes replaced by a bottomless well of darkness. His face was expressionless; he was still and silent. Then one corner of his mouth twitched and all hell broke loose.

* * *

**Ok, so. Let me know what you think.  
**

**Muwhahahaha.  
**

**Thank you to all who read and review, and I hope this was out soon enough for you.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**This is more like a mini-chapter. I'll have more out later today, but if I didn't split the chapter, it would have been huge!**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 23 (_Assistance_)**

* * *

Sarah stumbled to the ground, her knee scraping a rock, her outstretched hands catching her fall. It seemed from far away that Hoggle was calling out to her. Her heart was filled with emptiness and sorrow so strong that she sobbed. It wasn't her sorrow, she knew that. It was Jareth's. Something had caused him to feel overwhelming despair. Then the despair vanished and Sarah experienced a rage beyond words that colored her world red and then black. Hoggle was shaking her by the shoulder, asking if she was alright, but she could only shake her head and climb to her feet, pushing the blackness away. Instinctively, she looked to the direction of the castle. She knew that was where all these emotions originated, though there were miles of forest blocking her vision. Was it her imagination, or was it getting darker? Both Sarah and Hoggle frowned as the dim Crystal Forest become more shadowed. They lifted their eyes and through the canopy saw the sun become eclipsed. The celestial body did not continue moving past the sun; no, it remained in the sky, casting the Underground into an unnatural night.

Sarah swallowed, her eyes slowly meeting Hoggle's. "I think we're running out of time."

"But we're too far, Sarah." Hoggle said with a defeated air. "The castle is at least a week's walk from here."

"Dammit, Hoggle, I don't care how, but we need to find Jareth." She crossed her arms over her chest, remembering the phantom sorrow. "He needs me."

The air before them shimmered red and blue and then solidified into two women, one wearing robes of crimson, one wearing robes of indigo. Sarah instantly recognized the Sisters. Temanna stepped forward, amber eyes blazing. "Perhaps we can help."

"Oh, hell no," Sarah said walking past the sisters.

Hoggle stared at Sarah in shock. "Sarah, wait. They can get us there. They can help!"

Sarah spun toward him, green eyes flashing angrily. "Help? Help?" She glared at Sophia. "Where have you been, hmm?" She accused, "I thought you were my friend."

"Sarah, please, I am your friend." Sophia tried to reach out to Sarah but she stepped away scowling.

Temanna shook her head. "After what Heryah has done, I know you have little reason to trust us, but we do want to help."

Sarah narrowed her eyes. "But not me, right? Heryah is in trouble, isn't she?" The Sisters shared a glance and Sarah turned her back on them, resuming her quest. "If you think I'm helping you for Heryah's sake, then you're both delusional."

Sophia reached out and grabbed Sarah's elbow, spinning her to face them. "Then for Jareth. He is our friend as well. For Jareth."

Sarah shook her arm away from Sophia and glanced up to the darkened sky. Jareth did not have a week for her to clear a path through the Crystal Forest. She did not want to accept Sophia's help, but knew that she had no other choice. "Fine. Take us to the castle. But don't think for a moment that this makes anything better."

Sighing, Sophia nodded and grasped Sarah's arm. "Hold on."

The transportation was smooth and fast. Within moments Sarah stood outside the gates to the Goblin City, but it was not the vision she'd hoped to see. Dark, heavy clouds swirled ominously around the castle. Lightning streaked across the sky, but no thunder accompanied the bolts of purple light. Sarah spun towards Temanna and Sophia. "Has Heryah gone insane? What is she doing?"

Temanna kept her eyes to the sky. "I don't think Heryah is doing this."

Before Sarah could respond, the ground began to shake and the castle rocked violently. Cracks appeared in the smooth stone walls, growing and spreading, crumbling. The Labyrinth's walls began to fall apart. Goblins were screaming and running from the castle, and then the castle began to break apart. Huge sections separated from each other, but instead of crashing to the ground, the debris hovered in the air, spinning slightly. Sarah's mouth dropped open. She had seen a very similar sight once, long ago. The shock wore off and she rushed toward the gate. "We have to get in there." She pushed the gate doors open with little effort, pausing for her companions. When she turned back, Temanna, Sophia and Hoggle still stood on the other side of the gate. "Hurry!" she cried out to them.

Sophia shook her head, placing a palm up to the air. "We cannot pass. There is a barrier here."

"You must hurry, Sarah." Temanna said, her voice colored with concern.

"Sarah," Hoggle said calmly, but with sorrow in his eyes, "Remember. This is the way it is done."

Sarah nodded once and turned away, running towards the castle.

* * *

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews.**

**Does no one feel sorry for Heryah? lol. I mean, she has dedication...you have to give that to her.  
**

**Next Chapter: You'll have to wait to find out. :-)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	24. Chapter 24

******Disclaimer: Don't own it.  
**

**The Highwayman**

**Chapter 24 (_Torturous_)**

* * *

Never before had immortality seemed like a curse, but Heryah was quickly learning that there were truly things worse than death, and right now oblivion was looking mighty tempting. She was suspended in the air, hands magically tied to nothing above her head. Her body dangled limply. The pressure on her shoulders and wrists was excruciating, but Heryah never had to focus on it for long. Jareth was sending her into living nightmares. Horrors attacked her mind while lightning struck her body. Her blond curls were hanging messily around her; her green dress was blackened and torn, and her voice was raw from screaming.

Jareth watched from a close distance, occasionally tapping his lips with a gloved hand. He neither smiled nor frowned at her discomfort. Heryah felt like her suffering was no more meaningful to him than a painting he was studying. The coldness in his eyes was enough to chill her to the bone. Already she had tried to correct her lie, she tried telling him that Sarah lived, but the words did not comprehend. He just stared at her silently before striking her with another bolt of lightning.

As Jareth was looking away, a woman with long brown hair and green eyes managed to sneak into the ruins which were the throne room. Heryah was torn. On one hand, she hated Sarah, but on the other hand, Sarah was probably the only one who could save her now. Sarah worked her way through the flying debris and rubble, while keeping one eye on Jareth, but neither calling out to him nor running to him. Instead, Sarah was heading in Heryah's direction.

When Sarah was within speaking distance, Heryah whispered forcibly. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up, Heryah," Sarah answered in the same angry whisper. Her green eyes searched the sky, focusing on a barely recognizable Jareth. "What happened? What did you do?"

Heryah sneered, "What makes you think this is my fault?"

Sarah stared at her dumbfounded. "Because all of this _is_ your fault!"

A crack of lightning crashed down between them, driving Sarah to the ground with a cry. Heryah also cried out, but she quickly blinked away the pain. Jareth was watching them, no recognition in his eyes, only that same blackness.

Sarah climbed to her feet, both knees now bloodied and her hands scraped. Jareth was hovering near Heryah, gazing at her with intense concentration. With his hair and eyes black, Jareth truly looked inhuman. Never had he seemed so frightening. And even Sarah, untrained in the ways of magic, could feel the power radiating away from him. Jareth reached out a hand to Heryah, who began convulsing and screaming. The sound was awful, but the utter lack of emotion on Jareth's face was worse. "Stop! Jareth, stop!" Sarah cried.

He spun towards her, confusion spreading across his features. "Sarah?" His eyes flickered between black and blue and he dropped to the ground, head in hands. The flying debris hung motionless in the air, Heryah slowly fell, and Sarah rushed over to Jareth, who was visibly shaking. He was whispering to himself, but as Sarah approached she could make out the words: "Gone…gone…"

Sarah placed a hand on Jareth's shoulder. "I'm here," she said softly.

He lifted his eyes to hers, still flashing between blue and black. His brows were furrowed and Sarah noticed that all his bones were much more prominent, the marks above his eyes black. Jareth took a shuddery breath. "Heryah said Sarah was gone. I search for her, but I cannot find her."

Sarah frowned, holding his face to hers. "I'm here, Jareth." But he didn't seem to be seeing her; he was seeing through her. "Don't you know me?" There was no acknowledgement. "Heryah was lying, Jareth. It was all lies. I'm here."

"Lies," he repeated his voice a monotone. Quick, Jareth shoved Sarah away from him, scowling furiously. The blue in his eyes vanished to black. "Lies, all lies." The wind began kicking up again as Jareth went to his feet. Sarah watched him with trepidation. He was turning toward Heryah, expression black. "Sarah is gone. _That_ was the only truth."

Heryah shrunk away, cowering. "No, she's right there, Jareth. There she is!"

"Silence!" Jareth roared. "That is nothing more than an illusion. A creation."

"No," Heryah tried again, "No, she's real."

Jareth glared at the shaking Heryah, eyes black and cold.

"Jareth! Look at me!" Sarah raced after him, worried and frightened. And he did, but it was not Jareth she saw. Something else was burning in his eyes, something else that scared Sarah to her core and brought her up short. "Please, Jareth. Listen to me. Don't you remember me? Don't you remember Bess?"

Again his eyes flickered, but his expression remained hard. "Bess is dead," he said clinching his fists.

Sarah swallowed, "But I came back to you. Don't you remember? I came back. Now," and she stepped close to him, very close, yet not touching; "now I need you to come back to me."

He took a deep breath and tilted his head back, gazed at the darkened sky, and then back to Sarah. "I know you're not real," he began softly, "even if want it to be true with all my heart." He began to reach out for her, but dropped his hand before caressing her cheek. The same hand closed into a fist and the temperature dropped drastically. "But I cannot let myself hope any longer. I _cannot_." He turned toward Heryah, "I cannot," he finished in a whisper.

Sarah shielded her eyes as a burst of energy flashed from Jareth's outstretched hands. Heryah began to scream, the ground began to shake, and all the while streams of blackness emerged around Jareth. The sky turned red and as Sarah looked up she saw the stars and planets spinning madly above their heads, and Sarah had a moment of déjà vu. Jareth had once sung to her, "We're choosing the path between the stars. I'll leave my love between the stars." Sarah gasped. Jareth was moving the heavens…

Heryah was still being assaulted by tendrils of dark energy, but she managed to scream out, "Stop! You'll destroy us all!"

Jareth remained expressionless, arms outstretched, eyes to the sky. "There is nothing anyway."

And then Sarah had a crazy idea. She fought against the wind and the shaking earth, and made her way to Jareth, standing sure and strong before him. He eyed her suspiciously, eyes black. "Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered," she began. Jareth recoiled away from her, hissing for her to stop, but Sarah continued, green eyes flashing, "I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, but _there is no child taken_." Jareth was frozen, watching her uncertainly. "I have come back for you." She placed her hands on his face. He was so cold it burned her fingers, but she pushed that away. "You once told me to wait for you by the moonlight, do you remember?" She didn't wait for an answer; she only tilted his head back so they could see the moon, stars and planets whizzing about them. "Jareth, I'm waiting for you. Come back to me."

The wind died down again, and the heavens stopped spinning. Two gloved hands hesitantly touched Sarah's face and when she brought her gaze down, she was met with two blue eyes; mismatched, but blue. They moved left and right, searching her face, searching. "Sarah?" His voice was but a whisper, but it was finally Jareth's voice. She nodded and he pulled her close to him, breathing in her scent. "Sarah."

"I'm here," she said holding him tightly, afraid to let him go, afraid she'd lose him to that awful blackness. "Everything will be alright now, we're back together." She spoke too soon. The ground began to shake violently. In the distance Sarah could see tall trees from a forest falling, and more of the Labyrinth walls crumbled to the ground. Flashes of lightning spread through the red sky, and the planets began spinning madly above their heads.

Jareth lifted his gaze, eyes clear and blue. "Stay here," he commanded as he stepped away from Sarah.

"Jareth, wait!" Sarah tried to reach for him, but a barrier formed around her as he lifted a hand.

He smiled a sad smile, "Stay there, Sarah." He turned away, brought his arms close to this chest and began to glow. At first, the light was dim from where it emanated from his chest, but soon it expanded. Where ever the light spread, the darkness fled. The onyx armor was replaced by soft, ivory leather; the cloak of raven's wings transformed into a billowing cloak of pure, white feathers. The light chased away all the black from his hair; the marks above his eyes turned gold. The intensity from the light hurt Sarah's eyes and she brought up a hand to shield her sight.

For a moment, Jareth just hovered in the air, arms still crossed over his chest, eyes shut tight. When he opened his eyes a brilliant light spread to the heavens, chasing away the clouds and returning the blue to the sky. Jareth floated up, higher and higher, arms outstretched. The stars in the sky slowed their crazy trek and began moving backward in the sky, slowly at first, and then more surely. The sun peaked out from behind the eclipse and suddenly warm daylight cascaded down upon them. Jareth rivaled the intensity of the sun, but Sarah noticed the brilliance was dimming. Even from this considerable distance, Sarah could see he was struggling.

Worried, Sarah approached Heryah, who was standing very still as she watched the scene around them. "What is he doing?" Sarah asked her voice thick with concern.

Heryah quickly flicked her green eyes from Jareth to Sarah then back to Jareth again. "He is reordering time."

Sarah frowned. She had seen Jareth control time twice before, but both times had been on a smaller scale. "Can he do that?"

Heryah laughed bitterly, "He _is _doing it, and he's doing it for _you_. Look around Sarah," she said gesturing, "the Underground is not affected. Somehow, he is holding us still; he is moving time _around_ us. That ability is beyond me or my sisters' control, and it should be beyond his." For the first time since Sarah met Heryah, the Sister's green eyes softened. "He really does love you, doesn't he?"

There was nothing to say to that, so Sarah returned her vision to Jareth. The light emanating from him was blinking out and he looked in pain, "Can't we do anything?" She asked Heryah desperately.

"Just wait," Heryah responded, voice tired.

The wait did not last much longer. One more pure burst of light and energy bolted from Jareth and into the sky. The rays raced through the heavens, forcing the stars and planets to resume their normal trek of time. When the rays fell upon Sarah, her cuts and scrapes instantly healed. The Labyrinth walls in the distance were rebuilt, strong and shining. The Fiery Forest regrew; pines and oaks, maples and spruce shot up towards the sky, maturing within seconds. Everything except the castle was being repaired by the rays, and it was a beautiful sight to behold. Sarah was in awe, and she sought out Jareth. He was still high above her, in the sky, only…something was wrong. His light was gone and he was floating limply, arms dangling to his side and his head was rolled back. As she watched, he fell from the sky, striking the ground with enough force to knock both Sarah and Heryah off their feet.

* * *

**Sorry this took so long getting posted. My power has been out nearly all day..and its hot here...hella hot. **

**Thanks for the reviews! I love them. And I was totally being tongue-in-cheek about Heryah. I love to hate her.  
**

**I had to split the chapter again. Next chapter should be up tomorrow, unless that's too soon for everyone. ;-)  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**And here we go.**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 25 (_Somnambulist_)**

* * *

Dust covered Sarah's sight. Coughing and gagging, she scrambled to her feet, trying to see through the haze. "Jareth?" She screamed as she coughed, "Jareth!"

"Over here," came a voice to her left. It wasn't Jareth's voice, but Sarah followed all the same.

The dust began to clear as Sarah came closer. She could just make out Heryah's silhouette, bending down over an edge. Closer Sarah came, now able to see a crater at least six feet deep and oddly human sized. Broken rocks and rubble were scattered upon the ground. Sarah's breath stuck in her throat as she peered over the edge, unsure of what she might find. There, at the bottom of the crater, was Jareth. His arms were outstretched to his side, his eyes were closed. Sarah couldn't tell whether or not he was breathing. "Jareth?" she called out as she began climbing down the crater. Heryah was faster; she just blinked out from the top and reappeared next to Jareth. Anger coursed through Sarah and she grabbed a rock and chucked it toward Heryah as she screamed, "Stay away from him! Don't you dare touch him!" The rock fell short and bounced away harmlessly, but Heryah made no more advances towards the prostrate king. Sarah slid the final feet into the crater. "Sophia!" She yelled as she neared Jareth, thinking maybe the Blue Sister could help.

Sarah hovered over Jareth, afraid to touch him. With shaking hands, she felt his face and began sobbing. His pale skin was warm, and she felt a pulse on his neck. Her tears were falling freely, obscuring her vision, but it didn't matter. Jareth was alive! Sarah placed her cheek on his chest and cried. All the loss, hurt, and loneliness and pain, was shed with those tears. She barely acknowledged the appearance of Sophia, Temanna and Hoggle. They were all tuned out. The only one who was important was Jareth, and he remained unmoving. Why wasn't he moving? Sarah brushed the tears from her eyes and looked up to see four pairs of eyes unable to conceal their worry.

Sarah frowned. "Will he be alright?" Temanna and Heryah shared a glance, and Sophia dropped her blue eyes to the ground. Fear gripped at Sarah's heart, but she pushed it away. "He is going to wake up, right?" Again, the Three Sisters avoided her gaze. Even Hoggle remained silent, wringing his hands together and rubbing the ground with his boot. "Dammit, someone answer me!" She screamed as she moved away from Jareth and towards the Sisters. Heryah made like she was going to speak, but Sarah pointed at her, hands still shaking. "Not you. Not a word out of you."

Heryah surprised her sisters by actually holding her tongue. Sophia stepped forward, hands held out before her, "We don't know, Sarah. We granted him immortality; it would take an immense amount of magic to destroy him."

Sarah read between the lines: Jareth had used too much magic. "Will he wake up?"

"I don't know," Sophia repeated softly.

"Will he wake up!" Sarah clinched her fists, her whole body shaking. She couldn't lose Jareth now…she just couldn't.

Sophia flinched. "I don't know."

Sarah turned away from them in disgust. "Damn all of you to hell."

Heryah swallowed and took a few steps forward, "Sarah we need to wait."

Wait? Sarah stared at Heryah in disbelief. Wait? Waiting was all she had ever done. Three hundred years had passed and Sarah was still waiting to be reunited with Jareth, to have a life with him, and always, _always_ the chance was ruined. And Heryah was to blame. Sarah rounded on the Green Sister, fist clinched and swung hard, connecting with Heryah's left cheekbone. Heryah dropped to the ground, silently holding her reddening cheek. "If that's the worst thing that happens to you, consider yourself lucky." Sarah stood to her full height. "Now help me move him."

* * *

Jareth was frozen in the space in between time. The sheer amount of magic he had used to move the heavens and to hold the Underground still had drained him. He was tired, both body and soul, and so he slept. It seemed a long time since Jareth had rested. One part of his mind acknowledged that his body had been moved to a safe location within the Labyrinth. From far away he could see himself, clothed in white, resting on a large bed. Sarah was there next to him; his Sarah, his love, his hope, his life. She called out to him, but Jareth just did not have the energy to answer. He was burnt up inside, and so he remained asleep.

Time was of no consequence to him. He 'saw' the Three Sisters move in and move out of the room, always worried. Sarah and Hoggle remained near him nearly all the time, speaking to him, calling out to him to wake, but still he slept. He fell into a blissful slumber, unsure if he was ever going to wake, unsure if he even wanted to rouse. Then someone called out to him.

"Jareth." It was a feminine voice that Jareth had never heard before, and yet it was oddly familiar and comforting. Still, he ignored the call. "Jareth, I need you to wake."

_No_, thought Jareth, _leave me in peace. I am tired._

"You cannot sleep forever, Jareth," replied the voice. "And there are those who love you waiting for you."

Jareth hesitated before answering. _She will not understand. And I am tired._

A strong energy of warmth and understanding surrounded Jareth. "You have burnt yourself out, haven't you?" The voice sighed, and Jareth could feel himself being embraced. "Jareth, I shall give to you _my_ strength, for you shall need it in the future."

_I don't understand_, Jareth said confused as he felt more of the energy flow into his body. Slowly, a sense of being returned to Jareth and he opened his eyes. There was nothing but greyness around him, and yet he shined brightly, and before his eyes, another being shined brightly as well. Jareth tried to focus on the other person, but his senses were jumbled. He saw an old woman, bent at the back, with greying hair and piercing grey eyes, but he _felt_ agelessness around her. This was someone of great importance.

"Do you know me?" She asked with an outstretched hand. Jareth shook his head and she smiled. "You will in time." She took a step forward, "Do you trust me?" Jareth paused, staring unblinking at the extended hand, but he eventually placed his hand within hers. "Then Jareth, I bestow upon you my gifts." Hot energy coursed through his veins, burning through his body. Though not necessarily painful, Jareth was left breathless all the same when the sensation stopped. He felt different, though he could not verbalize why. The old woman pulled him into an embrace and kissed both of his cheeks. "Now you must wake, for there is someone waiting for you."

* * *

**Ok, I laughed out loud on some of these reviews.  
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**Clockwork Mockingbird: I will take that as a compliment ;-)  
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**Grey Kindle: That review was on crack, just so you know, but good to hear from you again. lol  
**

**We're about to wind this up peoples.  
**

**Next chapter: Jareth and Sarah. Yay!  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**The Highwayman**

******Chapter 26 (_Awakening_)**

* * *

Sarah could not cry anymore tears. Two weeks she had sat vigil by Jareth's bed; two weeks praying for him to open his eyes; two weeks of waiting in agony and still no response. The Three Sisters had helped her move Jareth into an old forgotten mausoleum deep within the Labyrinth, and there he lie, asleep on a large bed, unmoving save for the steady rise and fall of his chest. And Sarah was done with crying. Now she had to hope that Jareth would return to her. She needed to believe, or she would fall apart. Suddenly very tired, Sarah climbed next to Jareth, the feel of his body comforting next to hers. She rested her head on his chest and draped an arm over him protectively. "Come back to me," she whispered before falling into an exhausted sleep.

Sarah slept and she dreamed. In her dream, Jareth was awake and laughing as she and the goblins played a game. The sound of his laughter soothed her frayed nerves, but even in dreams she knew that the real Jareth lie comatose, and unresponsive. He neither laughed nor joked with her anymore. Suddenly, her dream felt like a nightmare. Tears, not shed while she was awake, fell from her eyes. Her dream faded away until all that remained was Sarah and a darkness that crept towards her. She sobbed, fell to her knees, and cried.

Then a warm presence enveloped her, and a bright glow chased away the darkness. "Sarah," whispered an invisible voice, "Sarah."

Sarah breathed in deeply and sighed, "Jareth." The dream vanished, leaving her to blink away sleep as she returned to consciousness. The room was dark, and yet Sarah knew Jareth was awake. His arms had moved to hold her and they tightened now. "Jareth?" She tried to see him, but with all the lamps burnt out it was impossible.

Sighing softly, Jareth illuminated the room. He needed no candles or torches; with a just thought the room was filled with a dim light. Seeing Sarah's face both pleased and saddened him. He reached out a hand and touched her cheek, drinking in the sight of her.

Sarah leaned into his hand, never once taking her eyes off Jareth. There was something different about him, he had changed somehow. One eye was still bright blue, but the iris of his left eye was a deep, luminous gold. The marks above his eyes were gold as well. And he seemed so sad. "Jareth…" she began, but the words died away as he averted his gaze and lowered his hand.

"Forgive me, Sarah." He said softly.

"For what?" Sarah replied in the same tone.

He sighed again, glancing down at his hands. "I've done terrible things…"

Sarah frowned and placed her hands on top of Jareth's. "That wasn't your fault."

"Oh it wasn't?" Jareth gave a quick smirk. "Sarah, I knew what I was doing, even if I didn't know why. Do you understand?" Sarah shook her head, green eyes pleading and he released a deep breath. "There was a part of me that relished that darkness. The pain and suffering all around me made me stronger." Sarah's eyes widened and Jareth waited with baited breath for her to reject him. Deep in his heart, he was afraid she would do exactly that: renounce her love, refuse to love someone who could be so…evil.

He was taken aback when she wordlessly scooted forward and traced the marks around his eyes. She smiled at him, "Jareth, we all can do evil or good, _be _evil or good. It's a choice. I saw you, remember? Eyes and hair black as night, but look now." She held up his hair, whiter and longer now than it had been, "And your eyes, they've changed too." His hand instinctively touched his left eye. "You've made your choice, don't push me away now."

As he looked into her eyes, Jareth knew he could never be without Sarah. Believing her dead had nearly destroyed him, had nearly destroyed the world. No, he needed her like the air to breathe. She must have seen something in his eyes, for she rushed into him, arms wrapping around his neck. He returned the embrace, buried his face into her hair, and breathed her in. At that moment he made himself a silent vow: He would never be parted from Sarah again.

* * *

Hoggle stared at the ruins that were once the Castle beyond the Goblin City, sighing as he squatted down, picking up and dropping stones, lost in thought. Goblins were running around, seemingly oblivious to the destruction around them, save for a few who looked at the rubble with longing. Hoggle was at a loss. Weeks had gone by and Jareth was still unresponsive. Sarah spent more and more time in the mausoleum with the sleeping king, but Hoggle could not stand seeing Jareth so still, so lifeless. The Goblin King was not made to be frozen like that, and it unnerved Hoggle. He found himself wishing to hear Jareth's taunts, or to even hear his name mispronounced, but all that remained was silence.

Luckily, the Three Sisters were handling the other kingdoms. Immediately after the stars were moved, messages came demanding an explanation. It was known that only the combined power of the Three Sisters could come close to controlling time and space, and the rulers of the Underground were frantic for an explanation. Sophia had decided to keep the true origins a secret, and Temanna and Heryah heartily agreed. So a lie was spread through the Underground. It was not the Sisters who played with time that day, but the dragons of Mt. Undar. Very little was known about the solitary creatures, and after a brief conference with Temanna, they were more than willing to be the scape goats. After all, the denizens of the Underground could not harm the dragons and the extra fear would keep those curious away. Besides, the dragons liked the Crimson Sister.

But still, the Sisters were absent from the Labyrinth, and Hoggle was struggling to keep the goblins fed and under a modicum of control. He heard soft footsteps behind him, and thinking they belonged to goblins called out without looking back, "Better not be getting into troubles, or I'll be telling his majesty." The quiet chuckle that came in reply shocked Hoggle, and for a moment Hoggle was frozen. But only for a moment. He got to his feet as he turned around, eyes widening at the sight before him. Jareth was standing, dressed all in white, one arm wrapped around Sarah's waist. His usually blond hair was nearly white and fell down along the length of his back. Hoggle was taken aback by the odd coloring of his king's eyes, but it did not matter, not one bit. Hoggle abandoned all his dignity and hobbled toward Jareth, throwing his short arms around his king's legs. One quick sob escaped, but Hoggle didn't care.

Sarah moved away as Jareth leaned down, placing a single hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "Hoggle?"

Hoggle sniffed and released his king, wiping his nose with a sleeve. "Abouts time you woke up. How much sleep did you need?"

Jareth remained crouched down, eye level with Hoggle. "Yes, well, dealing with you _is _exhausting." They remained in eye contact, and though no more words were spoken, the messages were received loud and clear. After a moment Jareth stood and reached for Sarah, who came to stand beside him. Together, all three stared at the destroyed castle. Jareth tapped his lips, and then moved away from Sarah and Hoggle, pacing back and forth, his cape of feathers swishing against the ground. He paused, staring forward unblinking. His golden eye flashed and Jareth extended his hands. The ground began to shake, several goblins screamed and ran away from the rubble; Sarah and Hoggle stumbled from the quakes, but they watched in amazement. All the brown rubble from the fallen castle began disappearing, fading away before their very eyes. The ground continued to shake and up from the old foundation walls of pure white grew from the ground. Towers and gates, windows, layers upon layers of stone emerged until a new castle was fully erected. It was larger than the old castle, white instead of brown, welcoming instead of intimidating. The goblins, though not the brightest of creatures, saw the castle and ran forward, crying and hollering that they had a new castle.

Jareth turned toward Sarah and smiled his brilliant smile that always made her heart stop as he extended his hand to her. "Let's go home."

* * *

**Thanks for reading guys! The end! **

**Just kidding! ;-)  
**

**There are two more chapters after this. I have a few more loose strings to tie off *cough*Heryah*cough*Derrick*cough*  
**

**Clockwork Mockingbird: That was May. And May is going to remain a mystery.  
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**Jazzypha: Yes she is, and I'm glad you liked it.  
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**Pan's Box: THANK YOU! I like May, and I'm not done with Heryah quite yet.  
**

**The Queen of Water: Always a pleasure.  
**

**Ok, we really are nearing the end. Next chapter should be out tomorrow.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 27 (_Epilogue Part 1: Forgiveness and Retribution_)**

* * *

Life resumed a normal routine shortly thereafter. The vast majority of the goblins were pleased to see their king, but in actuality, having shelter and food pleased them more. The smarter goblins, however, remembered the dark Jareth and cowered away from him, much to Jareth's consternation. He understood, but their aversion bothered him more then he would ever admit.

Then one night as Jareth and Sarah lie sleeping in their new and enlarged royal suite, a baby's cry woke him. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he slipped from the bed and followed the soft crying into the throne room. At this time of night the goblins were usually asleep, but this night they were in a horde, circled around a small bundled object. Jareth sighed and tried to move through the throng of goblins. "I've told you before, no stealing babies unless they are wished away."

Ooben, the pig like goblin, licked his snout with his long tongue, "Wisher dead, found baby alone."

Jareth lifted his brow in surprise. "Did you?" Ooben snorted again with a nod. "Hand me the child," Jareth commanded, unable to quickly move through the goblins. Years had passed since a child was wished away and the goblins looked with hopeful eyes as the crying babe was passed to their king. Goblins, for all their rough edges, had a soft spot for babies, and a new baby goblin was cause for rejoice.

The crying bundle hiccupped, but stopped crying as it reached Jareth's arms. He cradled the child, all the while inspecting for damage. Long ago he learned children from Above were treated unkindly, and on uncountable occasions he had cured ailments of neglect. But this little babe was uninjured; it was just staring up at him with dark brown eyes.

Ooben tugged on Jareth's night robe. "Can's we keep her, your Majesty?" Jareth relinquished the child back to the goblins, and as he did so the child transformed into a cute, tiny, fluffy goblin, more fur than anything else. Her care would be up to the goblins now, but Jareth was not worried as he returned to bed. Goblins, oddly enough, made excellent parents.

In the morning, news of the new baby goblin (a little girl named Lysa) spread through the castle like wildfire. A new goblin was reason to celebrate, and Jareth granted a free day. This did much to ease the tension between goblin and monarch. The more intelligent goblins were reminded that this was indeed their king, to be trusted and to be served. Sarah joined in on the celebration, holding and playing with the new goblin Lysa, never once accusing Jareth of being a monster. Instead, she had just shrugged, "This is how it is done?" Jareth had nodded and she returned the gesture. No other words were spoken on the matter.

Jareth watched from a window ledge as Sarah and the numerous goblins frolicked and played in the new throne room. Though brighter and more inviting, the layout was fairly similar to the old room. And like the old room, it was full of goblins. The goblins adored Sarah. They tried everything to gain her favor, to attract her attention, and somehow she managed to devout time to them all. She was their queen, and yet, a harsh fact kept plaguing Jareth. Sarah was still mortal. Though her life would be extended Underground, she _would_ age and one day die. The thought of Sarah's death, even a future death, rattled him to the core. He knew if she was gone from his life, that awful blackness would consume him. Despite what Sarah said, Jareth knew he did not have the strength to fight away the darkness without her.

No, something would have to be done about Sarah's mortality. Jareth looked outside, away from the noisy throne room, shutting out the ruckus. The Labyrinth was built anew, the sight warming Jareth's heart. Not long ago he would have sought out the Three Sisters regarding Sarah; however, Jareth was not keen on confronting Heryah, not yet anyway. Temanna and Sophia had visited the new castle, but when they looked at him, there was a strange new fear in their eyes. Jareth sighed and looked down at his gloved hands. He was powerful enough to grant Sarah immortality alone, he _knew_ that, but that power had rested only with the Sisters for eons; he felt strange and somewhat traitorous for possessing so much magic, absurd as it was.

Jareth turned his head as Sarah leaned against the window sill. Her eyes were sparkling, her cheeks were red with laughter and breathlessly she spoke, "You're missing all the fun, Goblin King." He tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes, causing Sarah to frown, "Jareth? What's wrong?"

He looked away, back to the Labyrinth. "Will you stay here forever, Sarah?"

Sarah followed his gaze towards the Labyrinth. "As long as I can," she replied softly.

Jareth slowly moved his mismatched eyes back to Sarah, a secret hidden in their depths. He flicked a wrist and a crystal appeared. It was the first crystal Sarah had seen him form since awakening, and the shining orb had changed from silver to gold. He held it out to her, "Will you stay with me _forever_?"

Sarah paused as the implication began to register. Jareth was not merely speaking hypothetically. She moved a little closer, the goblins in the room long forgotten, "Forever, Jareth?"

He twirled the crystal once before extending it to her again, "Longer, actually. Do you want it?"

Sarah reached for the golden crystal, "With all my heart."

* * *

Jareth sat upon his new throne, the companion empty beside him. The entire room was empty, the goblins forbidden entry for this occasion. He wore leather armor of ivory white. Golden pauldrons in the shape of an owl held a silk cloak that draped to the side. Jareth sat tall and straight, eyes focused on the double wide doors before him. Many months had passed and Jareth was finally ready to confront Heryah. For weeks he had sent out missives requesting her presence, but the Emerald Sister refused to respond. The last message promised bodily harm, and thus, reluctantly, Heryah agreed to meet.

The doors began to open, booming and echoing through the room. Jareth heard Heryah's heels clicking on the stone before he actually saw her, but eventually she came into sight. She was dressed formally, he realized, in a long green dress. Her cape had a very high collar, and her blond hair was coiffed atop her head. She stared at him defiantly with her emerald eyes, but Jareth was no fool. Heryah was afraid, yet desperately trying to conceal it. She stopped at the bottom of the throne and lifted her eyes, visibly taken aback by Jareth's transformation.

Jareth squeezed the armrests in an attempt to control his anger at seeing Heryah. "I have tried, time and again, to make sense of your actions, Heryah, and I always fail," Jareth began without preamble. "You do not have a right to play with my life!" The very walls seemed to shake with the force of his voice.

"I had every right," Heryah stuck out her chin. "Without me, you would have died like a dog on that highway, a robber, a thief, a nobody."

Jareth slammed a hand down and Heryah flinched. "Because they knew I was coming, didn't they?" Heryah remained silent, so Jareth continued. "Even then you were envious of Sarah, of Bess, weren't you?" A wicked smile curved upward on Jareth's lips. "And now, Heryah?" He stood from his chair, silvery hair and cape flowing behind him as he stepped down a few stairs. "How does it feel knowing Sarah is my queen? My wife?"

Heryah sneered. "Just give it time Jareth, and then you tell me how you like sharing your bed with an old, greying hag." The laugh that followed put Heryah on edge. There was a ghost of darkness in Jareth's tone, like he knew something she didn't, and Heryah hated surprises.

"I wanted you to know first, Heryah, my dear," Jareth said coldly, all the mirth vanishing form his tone. "Sarah will be granted immortality."

Heryah clinched her fists, enraged. She hadn't spent three hundred years trying to bury Bess' memory only to have Sarah gain immortality. "I will not grant it!" She hissed.

Jareth's golden eye flashed. "I was not asking your permission!" He turned away from Heryah, and sat back in his throne. "And I honestly can't think of a better punishment."

"Punishment?" Heryah echoed as she narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, punishment," Jareth replied calmly. "You have destroyed my life twice now; I think some retribution is in order."

Heryah swallowed, but did not argue. Jareth had changed since awaking; she would be a fool not to notice. The magic radiated off him, singing to her senses, and she had the distinct feeling he was holding his true potential at bay. Whatever Jareth had in mind, Heryah was likely powerless to stop, but she might be able to save her dignity. "Very well, your Majesty," she said with a small note of irony.

Jareth smiled, "Heryah, listen carefully. Sarah will be my queen for all eternity. There will be nothing you can do about that. And when she bears me children, there will be nothing you can do. We will live happily," he leaned forward, "and you will have to live with that knowledge."

For a normal person, maybe that would not seem like such a horrible punishment, but Heryah's eyes burned with hatred. To know that Jareth's bed would be warmed by another for all eternity was an agonizing torture. Still, Heryah also realized she was escaping relatively unscathed. She swallowed her hatred and managed to speak calmly, "Is that all, Jareth? May I leave now?"

Jareth tilted his head in a small nod. As Heryah vanished from the room in a green orb, she missed the quick glow from Jareth's golden eye. And when she reappeared in the middle of the Labyrinth, Heryah spun around in surprise and shock. She was in the hedge maze. The tall green hedges surrounded her and Heryah turned around again, already losing her orientation. Was this a joke? Hurriedly she tried to magic herself away from the maze, but the spell did not work. Panic began to grip at her chest, and she tried again. Once more, the spell did nothing. "Jareth…?" She whispered aloud, pressing her back against one of the hedges. "Jareth, please, you know how I hate the maze."

There was no answer. Heryah's breathing began to speed up. She couldn't be stuck in the Labyrinth. She couldn't! Her sisters wouldn't allow such a thing…would they? She hadn't spoken to Temanna or Sophia once since Jareth awoke. They refused to answer her…maybe…maybe they _would_ abandon her. In the distance she could hear paths moving, rearranging and Heryah closed her eyes. No…no…she thought, not the Labyrinth, anything but the Labyrinth. She took a deep calming breath. Jareth would not leave her indefinitely out in the maze, would he? A trickle of fear crept down her back as more walls moved around her. She really had no idea which way led to the castle and which way led out of the Labyrinth. In desperation she tried her magic again, but nothing worked.

The situation finally registered and Heryah crossed her arms defensively. She was a creature of magic. If need be, she did not need to eat or sleep, but she was effectively trapped. Swallowing, Heryah took another look around at the endless paths of green hedges. Jareth had said she would be punished, but this…this was unthinkable.

Heryah, the Emerald Sister was a prisoner of the Labyrinth.

* * *

**Ok, one more chapter to go. For all of you (Clockwork Mockingbird!) who wanted Heryah dead, lemme explain. One, I think endless torture is better, and two, killing a Sister would certainly be noticed. Remember, they're trying to keep Jareth's powers on a down low.**

**Let me know what you think.  
**

**LostNwestOk: Thank you!  
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**Clockwork Mockingbird: Am I still forgiven?  
**

**DawnRain: lol. That is a very large review. I appreciate the criticism of the Sisters. Its warranted, but I had reasons for leaving them as undeveloped as I did. They are supporting characters, and its been my experience that readers get bored of OCs. And May...lol, May is May. ;-) I'm glad you decided to give this a go, and I'm really glad you liked it. Thank you for your review.  
**

**Rurouni's Bee: The Highwayman is fantastic poem, and if you haven't already, then listen to Loreena McKinnet's version. Its amazing, and consequently its what started this whole thing.  
**

**The Final Chapter will be out tomorrow! Until then, have a pleasant day.  
**

**~Nylle  
**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: You guys know the drill...**

**The Highwayman  
**

**Chapter 28 (_Epilogue Part 2: Promises_)**

* * *

Sarah lay on the soft green grass in the middle of a new inner courtyard. A small fountain bubbled nearby, and pleasant smells from the numerous flowering plants filled the air. The sun was straight up in the blue sky, and Sarah absentmindedly wiped her brow. For the better part of an hour, she had been teaching a small group of goblins how to tumble and do handstands, but now she was exhausted. The goblins, once stripped of their bulky armor and odd assortments of clothes, were actually remarkable gymnasts. Currently, Sarah waited and held her breath as they tried to form a goblin pyramid. Soundlessly, a shadow fell over her, and Sarah leaned back to see Jareth watching the goblins with avid curiosity. He joined her on the grass, languidly, like a cat stretching, and shared a smile.

Sarah examined him from the corner of her eye as they both laughed at the goblin antics. Jareth looked lovely, dressed in red and gold, his long silver hair was pulled back from his face, secured with lace. He had one leg stretched before him, the other bent at the knee, his arm draped lazily over it. Since he awoke, Jareth had been kinder, calmer, and not just towards her. He rarely kicked his goblins, or threatened them, or even commanded them to "shut up". No, he seemed more willing to take things in stride. But Sarah also noted differences with her husband other than the shimmering silver hair and the eye of gold. Something was pressing on Jareth's mind, and now was as good as any to figure it out. "Jareth, are you alright?"

Jareth smirked, but continued watching his goblins. Ever since the day he went dark, Sarah had been able to pick up on his emotions. It was a subtle empathy that he found enduring and irritating simultaneously. "In the larger scheme of things…yes, I'm fine."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly an answer, you know."

Laughing, Jareth lightly kissed Sarah's cheek before standing. "I have a few errands to attend to Above. Can you handle these miscreants for a while?" Sarah bit her bottom lip, a habit that Jareth found quite adorable, and nodded. He could see the questions forming in her eyes, but she remained silent, for which Jareth was thankful. He turned his eyes to the sky, and within a blink, a magnificent white owl appeared, flapping and winging away, quickly disappearing from the Underground.

* * *

The back alley was dark and dirty, smelling of garbage and human refuge. The lone street light had long since burned out, and Derrick Scott stumbled blindly down the alley, hand trailing the brick wall from the building next door. He was almost unrecognizable. The loafers on his feet were spotted and stained, his designer suit was wrinkled and unkempt, his face was covered by stubble and his thinning hair was standing on end. And Derrick Scott could not have cared less.

His life was in shambles, and was going to stay in shambles. Ever since the day Sarah left him (again) he was living in fear. Jareth was no ordinary man, Derrick knew that, and he had no illusions. Sooner or later, Jareth would find him, and Derrick dreaded that day. So, he hid in a liquor bottle. The barkeep had kicked him out once he began rambling about mirrors and crystals and dwarves, so Derrick began the trek home.

A breeze blew through the alley and Derrick froze. There was something odd about the air, something foreign…unnatural…otherworldly. He stopped dead in his tracks. A few feet away, barely visible in the dark alley, a silhouette had appeared. Derrick swallowed, frozen still. Another breeze drifted through the alley and Derrick got a glimpse of long, silver hair. The shadow moved and suddenly a light flared. Derrick squinted, the brightness hurting his eyes. After a few blinks, Derrick was able to focus. Before him, dressed in black, was Jareth the Goblin King. In a gloved hand he held a glowing crystal which created grotesque shadows on his face.

Jareth smiled, allowing the points of his teeth to show. "Hello, Derrick." Derrick swallowed nervously, never taking his eyes away from the creature before him. Jareth slowly rolled the crystal and Derrick unintentionally began following the movement. "Do you like it?" Jareth asked as he watched Derrick. Derrick never blinked and Jareth smiled. "You can have it, if you like. All you have to do is touch it." Jareth held the crystal toward Derrick.

Derrick's hand was so close to the mesmerizing orb, but he didn't remember reaching for it. He froze, hand still extended, "What will happen?"

"It is just a crystal, nothing more," Jareth began twirling the crystal, "but if you look into it this way, it will show you your dreams." Jareth knew Derrick would take the crystal. He had seen the same look once too often; to live ones dream was awfully tempting, so when Derrick reached for the crystal, Jareth was not surprised, but he was prepared.

With a little woven magic, Derrick Scott was absorbed inside the crystal. The transformation was fast, shock did not even register on the man's face. Triumphantly, Jareth peered inside the crystal. Inside, Derrick's face, white with fear and wide-eyed, glanced back. Jareth sneered and spoke to the crystal. "So, you want a world of dreams? Then you shall have them, but they shall be of my making." Derrick began to shout, but his voice was distorted and muted.

Jareth flicked his wrist and the crystal shrank and transformed into a necklace, the crystal swinging on a silver chain. Jareth did not trust himself with the crystal; the urge to smash Derrick Scott to oblivion was too strong. No, he would need another to guard this crystal, and he already had an idea. Jareth help up the crystal to his eyes, pleased with himself. A quick death would never be punishment enough for Derrick Scott, but endless torture…now, that had a better sound.

* * *

Toby flip-flopped in his bed, trying in vain to fall asleep. His roommate, Allen, was a snorer, and tonight his nasal serenades were driving him batty. It wasn't just Allen though, that was bothering Toby. Lately, he felt the world around him had lost its appeal. At one time he loved attending Grant's School for Gifted Young Men, but now…the lessons were boring. The mansion that housed the students had once seemed imposing and mysterious, but now it was just an old house. The expansive grounds held no mystery either; they were only well manicured lawns and paths. They world was grey and Toby was at a loss as to the cause.

The night had been still and stuffy. The old mansion had no air conditioning, so Toby had opened the bay windows hoping for cool air. Up until now, he had been disappointed, so when the curtains began to billow and a strange scent filled the air, Toby curiously moved from his bed to peak out the window. No moon illuminated the grounds, but Toby was able to see a figure standing beneath an old oak. His heart sped up. Even from this distance, Toby could recognize Jareth. The man had _presence_.

Quickly and quietly, Toby donned some loafers and shimmied down the lattice under his window. He was sure footed and efficient, for he often sneaked out his window on sleepless nights. Not wanting to be patient, Toby dropped the remaining four feet to the ground, stumbling, but quickly regaining his footing. He jogged across the school grounds and toward the Goblin King. When Jareth came into focus, Toby slowed down, slightly startled, "Whoa, what happened to you?" Toby instantly saw the physical difference: the silver hair that was much longer, the eye that was gold, the thinner physique, but he also _felt_ a difference.

Jareth gave Toby an appreciative glance. "I will tell you one day, but not tonight."

Toby frowned, but did not argue. Instead, he fidgeted slightly. Jareth's gaze was unnerving with his new golden eye. "Ok…so. Um, what can I do for you?" Jareth's brows rose and Toby laughed. "Oh, come on! The Goblin King isn't going to check up on me just to see if I'm sleeping alright. You want something, so just ask." Toby could not explain what he was feeling, but suddenly he felt alive again, like the world was much brighter, more vivid and it gave him energy and strength.

Jareth examined the teen for a moment, and then nodded, as if he had come to a final decision. He held out his hand. A necklace, with a small crystal pendant, swayed gently. "I would have you guard this," Jareth spoke with severity, stressing the importance of the duty.

Toby subconsciously crossed his arms. If Sarah had told him once, she'd told him a thousand times: the Goblin King was crafty. "Guard it? What _is _it?"

"A crystal," Jareth replied with a smile.

"And nothing more? Ha!" Toby scoffed, "Have you forgotten who my sister is?" Toby had meant to tease, and was unprepared for the look of aguish that crossed Jareth's face. For only a moment he had looked miserable, tortured, and it frightened Toby. "Jareth?"

The moment passed and Jareth's eyes narrowed, his mouth set in a firm line. "Understand, Toby: I will not tolerate any trespasses against me or your sister. Those who do so will be punished."

The air suddenly felt colder and Toby nodded, reading between the lines. Jareth was not angry at him, his anger was directed elsewhere. "And the crystal? Does it hold a trespasser?"

"Of the worst kind," responded Jareth, his voice low and growling.

Toby frowned, "Ok…but, why me Jareth? Surely you could guard it Underground."

Jareth peered into the crystal, lips snarling before he looked away, "I would destroy the crystal if it remained in my presence."

Toby's eyebrows rose and he examined Jareth once more. Well, he thought to himself, if a magical being called you to service, who was he to argue? Toby held out his hand, "Yeah, ok."

Jareth placed the crystal gingerly on Toby's palm. "Wear it, guard it. Do you accept this responsibility?"

The air changed as Jareth spoke, it became heavier, charged. And when Toby glanced up, Jareth's golden eye was emanating a faint light. Toby could nearly taste the magic and suddenly he realized this was an important oath. He slipped the necklace over his head. "I will," he said solemnly.

Jareth placed a hand on Toby's shoulder. "You are the Guardian, Toby, from this moment on." His golden eye flashed bright, blinding Toby.

When his vision returned, he was alone under the oak, Jareth's words echoing in his ears. The Guardian? What the hell did that mean? "Hey! Jareth!" He called out into the night, "Does that mean I get to come back?"

A breeze moved around Toby, carrying that perfumed scent. On the wind was a whisper, "In due time."

* * *

Sarah was sitting at a stone table sipping tea when Jareth reappeared in the Labyrinth. The sun was past its zenith, but several hours remained until dusk. She smiled as he made his way to her. "Hi, there. All done with errands?"

"For now," he replied. "Sarah, come with me," he extending his hand, which she took immediately.

The world blurred during the transportation, but when Sarah's vision cleared, she was standing upon a familiar hill, overlooking the sprawling Labyrinth. The new castle sparkled majestically in the afternoon sun and Sarah felt her heart swell with love and pride. She turned toward Jareth, who was leaning against the trunk of a tree. Previously when she had stood here, the branches had been bare, but now the tree was crowned with green leaves and bright purple flowers. She smiled, "This is so beautiful."

Jareth returned the smile and approached her, holding her waist with his hands. "I love you Sarah. This is your home now, and I swear I will do everything I can to protect you."

She draped her arms around his neck. "You made me immortal, remember? There's nothing that can separate us now." Jareth avoided her gaze. "Right, Jareth?"

He frowned. "Immortality is not as absolute as it sounds. Granted by magic, it can be revoked by magic, but only by one who is stronger."

Sarah swallowed. "And who is stronger?

"No one in the Underground is stronger than I am, not now," Jareth answered quickly.

Sarah kissed him softly on the lips. "You see, then?" She took a deep breath. "I think, Jareth, finally, we can have our happy ending."

He tightened his hold and pulled her closer to him. "Hmm, three hundred years I have waited for you Sarah Elizabeth, my love, my life. Don't think I'm ever letting you go."

Sarah met Jareth's mismatched eyes. "I'm counting on it." She pulled him in for a passionate kiss that he returned with fervor as he led them down to the soft green grass.

Together, under the shade of that flowering tree, on a hill that overlooked the Labyrinth, Jareth and Sarah began a new life together. Finally, forever could begin.

**~~~The End~~~**

* * *

**There it is! The end of The Highwayman! Thank you all for reading my labor of love.  
**

**So here's the thing, there may be a sequel to this, but the idea is still just a germ. I usually have the entire story done before I start posting. IF I can get the plot, characters, etc., sorted, maybe this will be out around Christmas. **

**I really appreciated everyone's reviews.  
**

**The Queen of Water: Thank you, sincerely.  
**

**DawnRain: Yeah...I really like that idea, but I hadn't thought of it. lol.  
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**Lylabeth1: The Irish really are a crazy lot. ;-)  
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**Clockwork Mockingbird: Sorry, no babies this round. But I do so love that image too.  
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**Grey Kindle: Of course I'll keep writing. I'm an addict...can you be addicted to writing? Bah, nevermind. Thanks for your reviews!  
**

**UnwrittenOpus: I hope you liked the ending. I wanted a happy ending. lol  
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**Sarah Rose 29: I love the idea of torturing Heryah.  
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**Keep smiling everyone!  
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**~Nylle  
**


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